


Riley

by maersknation



Category: Original Work
Genre: Animals, Daddy Issues, Drama, Family, G!P, GP, Identity Issues, Multi, Non-human, Romance, Self-Discovery, Soccer, Teenagers, Violence, Were-Creatures, secret, society
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:24:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maersknation/pseuds/maersknation
Summary: Riley's life took a major turn when a big time business man proposes to her mom, causing her to move from her home in Tennessee all the way to Colorado. After getting settled in, she finds that she actually likes the move and her new family. In fact, her mother's fiancee becomes a father figure for Riley. Which is a big deal seeing as how her biological one left before she was born and the one who raised her died when she was young. But what will happen when her father comes back into her life? What will her reaction be? And what was the big secret that caused him to leave in the first place?





	1. Chapter 1

Sixteen years. This room, this house, has been my home for sixteen years. I run my hand over a dent in the wall. I made it when I was eight. I remember vividly how I kicked a soccer ball at the wall so hard that it flew back and hit me right in the face. I lost a tooth that day. And I guess I am losing my home today.

“Riley, we need to go.”

Letting out a small sigh in sorrow, I took one last glance around the room that has been mine for the past sixteen years of my life, before closing the door firmly behind me and joining my mom and sister in the moving van. I could only sit and watch as my home, my life, slowly disappeared.

***

Alright. Now as morbid as that may seem, there were some not so morbid events that led me to this point. For those of you wondering who I am, my name is Riley Chase. A sixteen-year old girl whose life as she knew it ended the second some guy pulled out a ring. That very same guy just happens to live in freaking _Colorado_ of all places. The question that had been rattling around in my head when I first found out was: how in the world did a guy from _Colorado_ end up dating a girl from Tennessee? Well, this particular guy just happens to be swimming in cash. So, he just hops on his private jet every weekend to see his girl. Peachy, right? Anyway, to make a long story short, this is what happened. Guy proposes, girl says yes, guy asks girl to move-in even though the wedding is a year later (apparently there is a lot of planning), girl says yes again (without consulting her daughters might I add), girl tells daughters, daughters lives are then ruined, and then the daughters find themselves sitting in a moving van two months later leaving their entire lives behind. Now, doesn’t Guy just sound great.

“Riley, I know you don’t like this, but John is super cool. And he has kids that are around our ages.” Meet Sam, my little sister. If you’re wondering why I didn’t know this myself, it’s because I have honestly never met this guy. Whenever he would be at the house, I made myself scarce. I was either out playing soccer all day or I was spending the day at various friends’ house. I know. I’m pretty sure I could win the award for ‘Most Supportive Daughter of Her Mother’s Newfound Relationship’. Sue me.

“That’s nice. And do you know if either of them plays soccer by any chance?” I asked skeptically.

“I don’t know.” Mom said with a sigh. “But I know that the school has a soccer team. I’m sure you’ll be able to play soccer with those kids.”

This is another reason why I hate this whole cross-country move. It’s already bad enough that I have to leave my friends and entire freaking _life_ behind but being forced to go to a preppy _private_ school is honestly just too much. It’s probably a soccer team filled with prissy girly girls that don’t want to get their clothes dirty or, god forbid, mess up their perfectly manicured nails.

“It’s official. This sucks.” I muttered.

“Riley, you don’t even know if you’ll like it or not. You’re only making assumptions. Assumptions which I’m pretty sure are inaccurate.”

I only sighed and put in my earbuds as I looked out my window and watched my life blur away.


	2. Chapter 2

Life on the road is rough. Spending an entire day travelling was terrible but the second day was even worse. I honestly should have been paying more attention but according to Mom it takes twenty-something hours to get to the good ole state of Colorado from Tennessee. We stopped at a hotel at some point last night before we got back on the road at some ungodly hour this morning. So, the entire little spiel is basically my way of saying that I slept through the entire second day travel time. And what an amazing sleep it was. That was until my sister dearest thought it would be fun. To wake me up. By opening the van door. That I was sleeping on. I could barely let out a scream before all the air was knocked out of my lungs by the unforgiving asphalt.  
“Oops. Sorry, Riley.” Sam said while trying, and failing horribly, to contain her laughter. I sent her the best death glare that I could manage but the effect was greatly lost since I was still lying on the ground, gasping for air.  
“Sam, is Riley up?” I heard Mom’s voice come from somewhere on the other side of the van.  
“Umm, you could say that.” Sam responded, the laughter still evident in her voice. I could hear Mom sigh before walking over, only to burst out laughing as soon as she took in the situation.  
“Thanks Mom.” I croaked out as I slowly stood. “I really appreciate the motherly concern for your daughter. I was only gasping for breath on the ground. No reason to be concerned or anything.”  
“Well, you’re fine now.” Mom told me while pressing a quick kiss to my forehead. “While you were still napping, I’ve finished all of my necessary forms and applications, so we can head out.”  
“So. You’re working here then?” I asked, looking a the extremely large hospital.  
“No. I went to medical school for ten years, got my doctorate, and have to continuously study for and take the Boards every seven years but I’m actually working as a cashier at the store down the street. I just had to fill out my liability application at the hospital for some reason.” Mom responded in a monotone voice.  
“The sarcasm really wasn’t necessary. A simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed.”  
“It is when a stupid question is asked.” Sam decided to put in her two cents.  
“And how far are we from dear John’s humble abode?” I asked, completely disregarding Sam’s statement.  
“I am actually going to drive by the school first so that both of you will at least have a general idea of where it is and its proximity to the house.”  
As much as I hate to admit it, I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love the moment I saw it. I honestly thought that I had died and gone to heaven. It was huge and the most beautiful green that I have ever seen! The lines were perfectly straight, and everything looked brand new. I could practically smell the freshness of the grass and my feet tingled in jealously of all the cleats that had sunk into that wonderful soil. There is no doubt in my mind that this soccer field and I are soulmates. I guess the school itself was nice too. It was big. It could easily be three or four stories high with what looked like close to a thousand steps leading to the main doors. On the ground leading up to the steps, there were two really large fountains that have been beautifully crafted. It honestly looked like a freaking castle. It even has a legitimate gate surrounding the entire perimeter of the campus.  
“I’m going to be so lost for at least a year.” Sam said in astonishment. I could only nod along in agreement, still enraptured by the beauty of the soccer field. “Wow! Riley’s speechless! I will enjoy this moment while it lasts.”  
“I guess that going here might not be so bad.” I said as I watched as the beautiful soccer field left my sight.  
“Oh, no. That’s impossible. I know you didn’t just say you might want to go here. I must have heard wrong.” It seems my Mom was just full of sarcasm today. “The school is only about ten minutes from the house which is a short enough distance that I’m sure you both won’t have a problem with walking to school.”  
Great. Now I actually have to get up and expend energy on something other than soccer every morning. I swear this John fellow better be worth it with all the stuff I’ve had to sacrifice lately. I guess I’m about to find out. Ten minutes later, we were turning into the driveway. Now, I must admit that after having seen the school, I honestly didn’t know what I was expect the house to look like, but it wasn’t this. The house, no scratch that, the mansion was freaking huge! The driveway itself was made of curved cobblestone. And the yard looked to be around five acres (plenty of space to get in some soccer practice) and that’s not including the trees that practically surrounded the entire property. The building itself appeared to be made of a gray stone with white marble columns on the front porch supporting one of the many balconies on the building. But what truly caused my jaw to practically drop to the floor was the three sports cars that were sitting in the driveway. A black Ferrari 488 GTB, a black and blue Ford GT, and a white McLaren GTR were just sitting there filling some part of my soul that I never even knew I was missing.  
“Riley, wipe the drool off of your face.” The amusement was evident in my mom’s voice. Embarrassingly, it turned out that I actually had been drooling.  
“Oops. My bad.” I muttered while wiping it off my face and tuning out their laughter.  
“Here,” Sam said, handing me a brush. “You need to look at least halfway decent for the first meeting.” I rolled my eyes but still took the brush from her. From just looking at me, you can tell that I’m not a ‘girly-girl’ but I still believe in making a good first impression on people. Although I must admit that I didn’t do much. I wiped any lingering crust out of my grey eyes and I took my dirty blond hair that stopped just past my shoulders out of its usual braid and took off my sweatshirt.  
“Aww, you actually kind of look like a girl now.” I just threw the brush back at her.  
“Alright girls. We’re here.” Mom said as she turned off the van. Looking up, I noticed that there was a man and two kids waiting on the side of the driveway.  
“Obviously.” I muttered under my breath. Apparently, it wasn’t quiet enough because Mom suddenly glared at me. Luckily, I was saved from the impending scolding by the doors being opened.  
“Hey,” The boy who opened my door said. “My name is Alexander but unless I’m in trouble for something people call me Alex. And you’re… Sam?”  
“Oh. Um, no I’m-”  
“I’m Sam! Samantha actually but I prefer Sam. I’m fourteen and I am so excited to be here and meet you guys!” Sam interrupted while climbing over me to get out of the van. I could only sigh and follow my sister as she proceeded to talk a mile a minute. While Sam’s brain-to-mouth seemed to be failing, I took the opportunity to observe the members of my soon-to-be family. First, there was John. He was tall, about six-seven or six-eight with light blond hair and warm brown eyes. Then, there was Alex. Alex really didn’t look much like his dad. While he definitely got his height from John, his hair was midnight black and he had eyes the color of the sea. Alex was definitely someone that is visually appealing and easily attractive, but I will never tell him that. Now, the girl that was standing next to him appeared to be around Sam’s age, but she looked as if she was barely five feet. She had John’s short blond hair and brown eyes. The scariest part, however, was that both she and Sam’s personalities were practically identical.  
“Oh, no. It’s another Maya.”  
“It’s another Sam.” Alex and I both said at the same time which caused us to look at each other in shock before bursting out laughing.  
“A female Alex.”  
“A male Riley.” Both Maya and Sam said together in horror. Ultimately, it became a huge laughing fest that led to us all on the ground unable to breathe.  
“Oh my gosh. My stomach hurts.” I gasped out.  
“Well, it’s good to you that you all are getting along.”  
I looked up to see John’s arm around my mom with both of them smiling at us. We eventually managed to stop laughing and get up.  
“Johnathon Tremmor.” John said, extending the hand that wasn’t around my mother towards me. “I believed we’ve failed to meet previously.”  
“Riley.” I said, taking his hand. It honestly felt way too formal but considering where I was standing I understood. “And I’ve been a busy person.”  
“I understand being busy. I’ve heard that you’re a pretty good soccer player.”  
“Pretty good?! Riley’s the best soccer player there is!” Sam interjected.  
“Oh yeah? We’ll just have to see about that.” Alex spoke up.  
“You play?” I asked, now genuinely interested.  
“I don’t just play, I’m the captain.” He smirked. Okay, now he was practically asking to get beat.  
“So was I.” I cockily responded. I was so caught up in my conversation with Alex that I didn’t even notice that everyone else had gotten deadly silent. They were watching our back and forth conversation as if it was some kind of high stakes tennis match.  
“I was the first sophomore captain. The second to be captain two years in a row.”  
“First freshman captain. This year would’ve made my third, but I still have two years under my belt.”  
“Looks like we’re evenly matched then.”  
“Looks like it.”  
“Was it a boy and girls team at your school or were they separate?”  
“Boys and girls. We had a JV and a Varsity team. And there was also a soccer club.”  
“I’m assuming you were captain of the Varsity and club then. Am I correct in that assumption?”  
“Yes, you are. How about you?”  
“We only have a boys and girls team although there are a few clubs around town. Are you planning on trying out this season?”  
“Of course.”  
“Cool. We’re currently still doing conditioning now, but actual try-outs start next week.”  
“I’ll be there.”  
“Is it just me or did that feel like diffusing a bomb to anyone else?” Sam asked. Alex and I both rolled our eyes.  
“Soccer is a sacred topic.” He answered with me nodding in agreement.  
“Well, how about we show you all around before we bring in your stuff?”


	3. Chapter 3

Nine hours later found me laying exhausted in my new room, on my new bed, in a new home. After being shown around, we brought in our stuff and were shown to our rooms. The house/mansion has four floors. The first floor is the necessities of living. It has the kitchen, living room, and dining room type stuff. The second and third floors are where all twelve bedrooms are, and the fourth floor was basically the game and entertainment floor. It had an unnecessary amount of flat screen plasma TVs and practically every gaming system that you could think of. Of course, my favorite part of the tour was going out to see the lawn that is perfect for soccer. There are even goals set up farther out on the lawn. There’re also two garages, a pool, hot tub, and a gazebo. Now, back to the bedrooms. All the kids’ rooms are on the second floor which is split in half by the stairs so that there are three rooms to the right and the other three to the left. Alex and my rooms are on the left while Maya and Sam’s rooms are on the right of the staircase. I must admit though that after seeing my room, any doubts that I had left about John went out the window. My room was legitimately awesome! It had a very sophisticated-casual vibe to it. The room had black carpet and the walls were black with white designs. In my room, I had a huge king-sized bed with black silk sheets, an HDTV, a computer desk with a desktop computer, and a laptop. Over in the corner, I had two beanbags and there was a balcony that overlooked the soccer field…umm…lawn. There was a bathroom that was connected to my room but instead of it being black like my actual room it was a silvery grey. In the bathroom, there were two sinks, a shower, and a Jacuzzi tub. Anyway, the rest of the day was spent with everyone just getting to know each other. I learned that while Alex and I are both sixteen and juniors in high school, I’m two months older than him. Sam and Maya are both freshmen this year, but Sam is a year older than Maya. I also learned that John is some kind of super successful business somebody with multiple companies across the globe. When it started to get late, we were told to get ready for bed so that we could be well rested for school tomorrow. I was honestly hoping for a bit more time to adjust but because they’re already three months into the school year, we probably need to start catching up as soon as possible.  
I looked over at the boxes that I haven’t yet unpacked still sitting in the corner of my room. Somewhere in one of those boxes lies my most prized possession, my lucky soccer cleats. I haven’t been able to play in days and I almost feel as if I’m about to start going through withdrawal. I’m hoping that the conditioning tomorrow will be enough to curb my soccer deficiency. Before I realized it, I was drifting off to sleep to dreams of soccer fields.  
“Riley!”  
I shot up in bed. It took me a few seconds to gain my bearings and remember that I was in my new room. It took a couple more seconds to find that the person who had yelled my name. The culprits were standing at the foot of my bed grinning from ear to ear.  
“Ugh,” I huffed as I laid back down. “What do you guys want?”  
“Well, since it’s our first day, we’re going to help you actually look decent today,” Sam informed me with Maya nodding in agreement. I made the mistake of glancing at my clock.  
“I swear that time better be wrong Sam because I know that you didn’t wake me up at five o’clock in the morning. I just know you didn’t.” I practically yelled, sending them both a death glare. Maya actually flinched a little but Sam, who had definitely gotten used to them, was completely unfazed.  
“Nope. Clock’s right. But you’re not going to your first day at a new school in jeans and a sweatshirt.” Sam sternly while crossing her arms.  
“Fine.” I sighed. I knew that when she got like this there wasn’t any changing her mind.  
“Yes!” They both cheered before dragging me away to the torture chamber.  
An hour and a half later found me standing in front of a mirror looking almost like a completely different person.  
“Wow!” I said in honest amazement. I’m not even kidding when I say that those girls are freaking magic. Firstly, they somehow managed to get my extremely tangled hair straight without making me completely bald. Secondly, they also managed to bring out my natural eye color and other facial features with that make-up stuff that they forced me to wear. And thirdly, the clothes that they forced me into weren’t that bad. They kept it simple but nice with black, ripped skinny jeans and converses with a dark red camisole under a white see-through shirt with a denim vest.  
“I kind of wish that I was all athletic looking,” Maya said wistfully. I smiled to myself. All of that soccer not only gave me a wonderful tan but well-defined muscles and a six-pack that I am extremely proud of.  
“Even though I’m still mad about you both waking me up a five in the morning, I guess I do look pretty good so thanks, girls.”  
“You’re welcome Riley.”  
“Alright, new school day one. Let’s do this!”  
The walk to school only took about fifteen minutes which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We thought that it would be best to get to school a little early since it was our first day so that we could go and get our schedules and have time to get to our class.  
“How can I help you?” The office attendant politely asked after we had finally made it up the many steps at the front of the building and followed the signs that led to the office.  
“Umm, my sister and I are new here and we need our schedules,” I responded nervously, not used to the genuine politeness from the school staff.  
“Oh. Of course.” She said, looking through the papers. “It’s not often that we get new students in October. Here you go, Miss R. Chase and Miss S. Williams.” She handed us our schedules and information packets.  
“Your last name is Chase?” Alex asked as we went to go find our lockers.  
“Yep. So, we only have five classes each year?” I quickly responded. In case you were wondering, no, Sam and I don’t have the same father and yes, we are technically half-siblings. I’ve never met my father, but I guess that is expected of a man who disappears off the face of the planet as soon as he learns that he is going to be a dad. It was actually Sam’s dad that was the one who was there with my mom to help raise me, and eventually Sam, a few years later. He’s actually the one that I consider to be my dad, but he’s gone too. He was killed in the Army when I was eight, so fathers are a touchy subject for me that I usually try to avoid whenever possible.  
“Um, yeah. So, what classes are you taking?”  
“I have Math I, Biology, Government, American Literature, and… Phys. Ed.” I told him, checking my schedule.  
“I have those classes too, but we have them at different times. I might see you at lunch though.”  
“Cool. Hey Sam, what are you taking?”  
“Maya’s in all of my classes!” Sam squealed with a huge smile on her face.  
“Must be nice,” I mumbled just as the bell rang. “Well, see you guys later.” Unfortunately, I ended up getting lost on the way to class which caused me to enter my math class ten minutes late. So, of course, as soon as I walked in everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. I stood there semi-awkwardly until the teacher approached me.  
“You must be Miss Riley.” The guy didn’t even remotely look like the typical math teacher who seemed to have roamed with the dinosaurs. He honestly looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old with an athletic build and beautiful blue eyes.  
“Um, yeah.” I stuttered, stunned by his appearance.  
“We’re glad to have you. My name is Troy Walter, but you can call me Troy, TW, or Mr. Troy. Any of those are fine. And contrary to popular belief I’m actually twenty-two, not eighteen or nineteen like most people assume. I have gotten my master’s degree in Mathematics along with the necessary courses so that I am qualified to teach high school students. On top of all of that, I played soccer all throughout high school and college and am currently the soccer coach here. Now, would you mind telling the class a bit about yourself while I sign your slip?”  
“Sure,” I said, handing him my slip. “My name is Riley Chase and I moved here from Tennessee with my mom and my sister, Sam. I’m sixteen years old and spend every free moment in my life playing soccer which is my one true purpose in life.” I said as I looked at the rest of the class.  
“Thank you, Miss Chase. You can sit in any available seat. And I definitely expect to see you at tryouts next week. I’m interested to see what kind of skills you have.”  
“Of course. I’ll be there.” I responded, heading over to an empty seat near the back of the class.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey. I’m Adrian.” The boy sitting next to me introduced. He seemed like he was slim and tall, but I couldn’t tell since we were both sitting now. He had skin the color of milk chocolate with shaggy black hair and light brown eyes. He also had two small, black, hoop earrings in both ears and was sporting a very cocky smile.  
“Hey. It’s nice to meet you.”  
“So, what brings you here?”  
“New opportunities, I guess.”  
“Soccer related opportunities, eh?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “If you want to get noticed professionally, this is definitely the place to be. As a fellow soccer player myself, I must say that there’s some serious competition here. The Tremmor kid, Alex, has wiped the field with literally everyone that he goes against and expects the same out of the rest of us. And if TW up there coaches like he teaches then it almost seems like we’re in for a brutal time out there on the field. Are you sure that you’re up for all that?”  
“As I told the ‘Tremmor kid’, where I come from I was the top dog. Undefeated and was known for demolishing any opposition on the field. I think I can handle a little bit of competition…if I can even call it that.” I cockily answered with a smirk of my own as Adrian’s mouth dropped open in shock.  
“You’ve already talked to Tremmor? On your first day?! How did you even manage that? That dude is seriously hardcore. I’ve known him forever, but I still only speak to him if it’s an emergency or something.”  
“Well, I live with him.”  
“You live with him? You’ve actually been to the Tremmor mansion? Home of the richest man in the state. How?”  
“His dad proposed to my mom and asked her to move in with him.” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “She said yes so here we are.”  
“Your mom? How did they meet?” He whispered, glancing up to make sure Troy hadn’t noticed that we have yet to pay attention to his lesson.  
“I think they met at this future innovator something-or-another meeting thingy. My mom’s a neuro surgeon so she tends to go to stuff like that. I don’t really know much more than that. But why do you call Alex the ‘Tremmor kid’? He and his sister have names you know.” Adrian just stared at me blankly.  
“Tremmor…has…a sister?”  
“Yeah,” I answered slowly, slightly confused. “Her name’s Maya. She’s thirteen and a freshman like my sister. They’re in all the same classes and everything.”  
“Wow. I honestly didn’t know th-”  
“Mr. Harris!” Troy suddenly appeared beside our desks, scaring the crap out of both of us. “I would greatly appreciate it if you would wait to interrogate Miss Chase after my class. And Miss Chase, seeing as how you’re new here, I’m glad that you’re making friends, but I need to speak with you after class. Now, I need both of you to stop the side conversation, copy the notes and examples that are on the board, and PAY ATTENTION. I would hate for your grades to be the reason that you don’t make it on my team. Now, have I made myself clear?”  
“Yes, sir!” We both said in unison before slumping back in our chairs to try and avoid the looks that we were getting from the rest of the class as Troy resumed teaching. Both Adrian and I started copying down the notes from the board and just silently agreed that we would continue our conversation later.  
“What’s your schedule looking like?” Adrian asked as we gathered our things after the bell had rung.  
“I have Bio after this. Then Gov, lunch, Am. Lit, and Phys. Ed.”  
“Well, looks like you’re my new class buddy if that’s okay with you. My friend, Sara, she’s in all of those with us too. She actually would’ve been in this class but she’s super good in math so she’s in Math II with the seniors. I think you will both get along wonderfully though.”  
“Yeah, that’s cool. And I’m sure-”  
“Miss Chase. A moment please?”  
“I’ll wait for you outside so that we can go to class together,” Adrian said, giving me a sheepish smile before leaving the room. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to Troy’s desk.  
“Yes, sir.”  
“Miss Chase-”  
“Riley. Being called Miss Chase is weird.”  
“Chase, then. I understand that you are new here and that it’s going to take some time to adjust and get used to the way things work around here. But, you’re a bit behind in our curriculum and I need you to focus in class so that you can catch up. If you need tutoring or anything, I will be available to help but I need you to actually put in the necessary effort to catch up, alright?” Troy asked seriously.  
“I understand, sir. And I’m really sorry about earlier. I promise that it won’t happen again and that I will pay attention in every class from now on.”  
“Apology accepted. And now that the serious teacher stuff is out the way,” Troy said, sitting back and clapping his hands together. “You said that you’re a soccer fanatic. How long have you been playing and what position do you play?” Troy excitedly asked. I had to pause and blink a few times to register his complete change in attitude.  
“Umm, I can play either center or forward, but I mostly play center. I first started playing soccer when I was four. My dad taught me pretty much everything that I know.” My voice quieted a bit at the mention of my, technically Sam’s, dad. Sam’s father, the man who actually helped raise me, had been the biggest soccer fanatic ever. Every opportunity to do something soccer related, he was there and didn’t hesitate to take me along with him. When I turned four, he bought me my first pair of cleats and proceeded to teach me everything he knew about soccer over the years. Of course, he tried to do the same with Sam, but she was never able to get into soccer like we were. It was before he left, the last time that I would ever see him, that he gave me my lucky cleats. They had been way too big back then, but he told me that one day I would grow into them. “I need you to keep scoring goals for me, Riley.” Was the last thing that he would ever say to me and I have made it my life’s mission to do exactly that.  
“Well, I hope to see you on the field today after school for conditioning and to get a feel for the field,” Troy said, seeming to sense my reluctance to continue the conversation.  
“I will definitely be there.”  
“Good. I believe that Mr. Harris is waiting for you. I hope that you adjust well to the school and know that you can come to me if you need any help.”  
“Okay. Thank you, sir. Sorry. Troy.” I corrected after he made a face and proceeded to go and find Adrian. “Sorry. Have I made us late?” I asked as we started walking to our next class.  
“Nope. We have fifteen minutes in between classes here because the school’s so big. You were only in there for five.”  
“Oh, well that’s goo-”  
“Addy! Where have you been?! I’ve been waiting for you forev- oh! Hi.” A girl exclaimed while running towards us. She was around average height with long, waist length, caramel hair and beautiful hazel eyes that brought out the features of her soft, semi-roundish face. If her killer body and soccer tank top were anything to go by, she was athletic as well. So far, it seemed like in order to live in this town, you have to be a freaking model.  
“Hei-” I choked. “Hey.” I tried again after clearing my throat while trying to keep the blood from rushing to my face.  
“Sara, this is Riley and she’s new here. She just moved from…” Adrian trailed off.  
“Tennessee.”  
“Right! She just moved from Tennessee with her mom and sister and lives with Tremmor. Riley, this is Sara, the nerd that I was telling you about earlier. The one who has classes with us for the rest of the day. Oh! And she plays soccer as well. In case you couldn’t tell from the soccer tank she’s sporting. But, yeah, soccer is practically the new football around here. Get it?” Adrian burst out laughing at his own joke.  
“I’m sorry about Addy. He can’t help it. But what is was trying to say is that our football team is truly abysmal, so the soccer players are the ‘jocks’ around here. Well, except for Addy, he’s our water boy, but you learn to live him. Lame jokes and all.” Sara said, smirking.  
“Hey! I take offense to that. I’m actually a starter thank you very much. And I’ve never been a water boy, nor will I ever stoop to such levels. Don’t listen to her, Riley.”  
“Don’t we need to get to class?” I chuckled, interrupting the banter between the two friends. Sara and Adrian playfully glared at each other for a few more seconds before they both started laughing.  
“Riley’s right, Addy. We do need to get to class. Can’t have Riley here late on her first day.” Sara agreed as she looped one of her arms through mine, sending small tingles throughout my body. “Let’s get moving.” She said while dragging me along with her.  
“Addy, huh?” I teased, looking over at Adrian.  
“She says that Adrian is too much of a mouthful. It’s not my favorite nickname ‘cause it seems a bit too feminine to me. It sounds too much like Abby, but I’ve tried to get her to stop but as I’m sure you’re able to tell, that has been a lost cause.” He answered shrugging.  
“How about instead of thinking of it as A-d-d-y, you think of it as A-d-i…Or try to convince her to call you Ian or something.” I suggested.  
“Nope. Not happening. He can change the spelling in his head all he likes but he will be Addy to me until the day we die.” Sara stated to which Adrian only sighed in response.  
Throughout the next two weeks, I started to fall into a routine. I would hang out with Sara and Adrian during school hours including lunch because it seemed that no one from my household had the same lunch as I did. Then, I would walk with Adrian and Sara out to the soccer field where I would meet up with Alex while Sam and Maya walked home together. After soccer, we’d say our goodbyes and then Alex and I would walk (or sometimes race) back to the house.  
**  
I stood holding my breath in anticipation as I waited with all the other players who were waiting to see the final list. The week of conditioning had allowed for me to get a feel for both the people who were trying out and for the field itself. It didn’t take me very long to learn where all the bumps and crevices of the field were which I used to my advantage during tryouts. So, I’m really excited to see what position I’m in. Seeing as how I’ve only been here for about six weeks, I’m not expecting to be captain or anything, but Alex and I were practically neck and neck throughout the entirety of the tryouts. Although I will never tell him and will deny it if asked, Alex is pretty dang good. However, I’m definitely still the best.  
“Oh my god! They just put up the list!” Sara squealed, excitedly grabbing my arm. Her and Adrian were both amazing on the field as well. When Adrian had said that there would be competition, he really meant it. Troy was almost brutal during conditioning and I found myself being grateful that I only had to survive a week of conditioning instead of a month like the others. Of course, I was already in shape, but Troy’s exercises had me feeling as if I had never been active a day in my life.  
When what Sara had said finally registered, I immediately rushed forward trying to be the first to see the list. Unfortunately, so did the forty-five other people wanting to see the same list. The room was suddenly filled with a mixture of cheers and sobs, but I didn’t do either. I could only stare at the paper in silent shock. My name wasn’t on the list. At all.  
I didn’t make the team.


	5. Chapter 5

I spent the rest of the day in a permanent state of depression. I didn’t even eat lunch. Troy, aka Mr. Didn’t-put-me-on-the-team even had the nerve to ask me to still come to practice after school as a “final day on the field”. I honestly thought about saying no and just going home but two-thirty found me walking out to the soccer field. The people who had made the team were sitting in the center of the field and I walked over and sat dejectedly beside Sara, the assistant captain of the team.  
“Congrats,” I told her. She smiled sadly at me.  
“Thanks. And Riley,” She said, placing her hand over mine. “Alex wasn’t on the list either.” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.  
“He wasn’t?” I asked in shock.  
“No,” Sara said, shaking her head. “His name is usually first on the list, but it wasn’t on there at all. That’s why he’s over there sulking as much as you are.” She nodded in his direction. She was right. Alex’s face mirrored the sadness, confusion, depression, and slight anger that was currently running rampant through my soul.  
“I wonder-” I started but stopped when Troy walked into the center of the circle. He was carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other which he sat down before he started speaking.  
“Congratulations on making the team! Most of you may not know that this is my first-year coaching and my rules and expectations are different than most. Know that I did not put you all on this team from sheer skill alone. There were many other factors that ultimately led to my final decisions. While I looked at your grades, behavioral records, and how well you performed on the field, know that the most important factor was your character. I observed how each of you treat other people throughout the school day, how well each of you interacted with the other players, and if you played with a team or individual mindset. And after evaluating all of that, you all were chosen. I don’t believe that a team is a strong as its weakest link. I know that it's unbeatable if we remain a team. If we stick together, I know that we can beat any other team that is unfortunate enough to step on the field against us. And a great team requires great captains. So, will our two assistant captains, Sara Hamilton and Adrian Harris please come up and get your jerseys.” Troy had to yell over all our cheering and applause. They both got their jerseys and Sara sat back down beside me, holding her new uniform and smiling harder than ever. The sheer joy on her face was enough to make me forget about my own despair for a moment.  
“Hey. Congratulations. You deserve it.” I told her sincerely, leaning over to give her a quick hug.  
“Ri-”  
“Now, I believe an explanation is in order,” Troy announced. “As I have said before, I value one’s character more than I value their skill. But, we must also have skilled players if we want to truly be a competitive team. And I believe that our captains should be able to lead their team both on and off the field which requires an additional test that I am happy to say they both passed. Now, I would like for you all to join me in congratulating your team captains. Captains Alexander Tremmor and Riley Chase, please come up and get your uniforms!”  
**  
Of course, we all know that happiness never lasts. The day after the soccer thing, I found myself in after-school detention. Being the type of person that I am, I made one minor (although truthful) comment to my Government teacher which landed me in detention. I was lucky that soccer practice was canceled today, or Troy would have been pissed. Especially after his whole spiel about the character of his team and of the captains of said team. The downside was that I ended up having to walk home by myself, not that it was really a problem or anything. I put in my earbuds and started to jog back home, but since soccer practice was canceled, I decided to take the long way so that I would still be able to work on my cardio. The extra weight from my backpack was honestly just an added bonus. As I arrived at the road that I knew I needed to take to head towards the house, I decided to just keep going. I didn’t want to stop yet. I was enjoying the burning in my calves and the wonderful ache that came with running. I was so caught up in my run that I didn’t notice that a black car had been following me ever since I left the school. It was only when it pulled up to the corner in front of me that I slowed to a walk and removed my earbuds. I felt my muscles tense as the back door to the car opened in preparation to run in the other direction. After taking a quick glance at my surroundings, I cursed myself for putting myself in this situation. I was on a deserted, practically abandoned road that looked like the car pulling in front of me was the first that had been on it in decades. This is honestly how horror movies are made.  
The first thing I saw was a head full of dirty blond hair and a pair of grey eyes. I stand, frozen, as the man gets out the car and walks over until stops about a foot from me. He was about half a foot taller than me with a similar body structure to my own. His hair is short and spiked, and he was wearing all black. Black shoes, jeans, shirt, leather jacket, biker gloves, and shades that were clipped to his shirt. He had finger-sized gauges in each ear with black snakebites on his bottom lip. There were tattoos covering both of his arms that seemed to be continued on his neck. And he was really, really muscular.  
“Riley Chase?” His voice didn’t match his appearance at all. It sounded young, almost childlike in its softness.  
“Who are you and how do you know my name?” I asked, giving him the best glare that I could muster.  
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d prefer that we continue this conversation in the car.” He said. I must admit that for a moment I actually considered it. Just as I was about to refuse and run off, what he said next caused me to freeze where I stood. “If it’s your safety you’re worried about, don’t be. I promise. Family doesn’t harm family.”  
“Family?”


	6. Chapter 6

I sat in the car across from Richard, my head spinning.

“So…you’re my…brother?”

“Technically, I’m your half-brother. Dad isn’t one for commitment as I’m sure you can tell. Dad contacts his kids when we turn twelve, but he wasn’t able to find you for a long time. He never gave up though. So, here I am. Two hours from home, talking to you. Of course, we have other siblings. We have three younger siblings in case you were wondering, but out of all of us you’re his favorite.”

“You’re telling me that the man who knocked up my mom and then vanishes without a trace has spent the last five years looking for the child that he abandoned?” I growled.

“It’s like that for all of us. He gives us time to be a normal kid, to live a normal life. I was upset too at first. But, these past few years with Dad have been better than I ever could have had living a normal life. Even knowing that I will never be first in his eyes or that I will never be his favorite even after everything that I’ve done for him. And yet, I still remain loyal.” The sadness and hurt in his voice weren’t lost on me.

“Why can’t you be?” I sincerely asked.

“We’re…our kind…is different from humans. I’m sure you’ve seen movies about werewolves there’s an alpha of the pack. That’s not what we are but it’s kind of like that. Dad’s the alpha and regardless of how he dies or who kills him, the oldest child is automatically and irrefutably the heir. And, because they’re the natural heir, they will be the superior child. They’ll be faster, stronger, and significantly more powerful than everyone else. So, regardless of how much I suck up to him, I’m still the third born and that can’t be changed. My older brother gets more perks from Dad; some that I’ll never be allowed to have.” He explained.

“If that’s true then…then I would have to be older than you.” I looked over at Richard skeptically. “You look at least twenty. And if we have an older brother, what does he need me for?”

“I grew after I met Dad for the first time. But, Riley, I said that _I_ have an older brother. _You_ only have younger siblings; five, so far, to be exact. Riley, you’re the oldest. You’re Dad’s favorite and _you’re_ the heir. It is your birthright to be the one to inherit Dad’s empire.”

“…You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I’m serious. As of now, there’s six of us. You’re the oldest and then it’s my brother, Benjamin. He and I are the only full siblings so far. We’re twins actually but he was born five minutes before me so we’re both fourteen. Jackson is thirteen and both Ryan and Micah are twelve, but Micah is a few months younger than Ryan. Although, knowing how Dad is, we’ll probably have a new sibling popping up sometime soon which one of us will probably be sent out to find.” Richard explained while I just gave him a skeptical look.

“Right.” I sighed out. “Richard, what is your purpose for coming here? Is this some game or dare that you’re playing with your friends? Because some small part of me would like to believe you, but I’m finding all of this hard to believe.”

“Riley, I’m telling you the truth. I was sent here by our father to find you and take you back to him.”

“Like hell you did.”

 “You were supposed to have been with him since you were twelve. You don’t even know who or _what_ you are and regardless of what you choose to believe, you can’t just run away from this. The rest of us had a choice and we all chose to follow Dad because our lives were a living hell. But, you’re not like the rest of us. You’re the heir. You don’t get a choice. You were born with that decision already made for you.” I could feel my facial expression turn into one of uttermost rage and, based on the fear that shown on Richard’s face, it thoroughly conveyed my anger.

“I am not having _ANYTHING_ to do with that man! I don’t give two shits about when or in which order I was born! If he actually gave a crap about me, then why the hell did he leave in the first place?! _My_ _father_ died in the army eight years ago. I’m not obligated to do a damn thing for the sperm donor. The man couldn’t even come here and explain all this to my face. He sent a freaking errand boy instead! I like my life just the way it is without him in it. So, you can tell your twin he got a promotion because _I’M OUT_!” I growled out before angrily jumping out of the car and letting the door slam behind me before I started running away. I honestly had no idea where I was or what direction I needed to go to get back home, but I didn’t care. I’d rather be anywhere but here right now. I heard the car screech to a stop behind me.

“If you don’t go, he _will_ come here! Regardless of what you believe, you can’t run from this, Riley! He’ll come and get you himself!” Richard yelled after me.

“Then let him.”


	7. Chapter 7

I was farther from the house than I realized. During my conversation with Richard, we had apparently left the city completely. I was finally able to find out where I was and how to get back home after I had been running in a random direction for almost an hour. I would’ve called my mom, but unfortunately my phone had died at some point during my conversation. By the time I made it to the street that led to the house, my watch read that it was almost eleven o’clock at night. I left school at four-thirty after serving my detention that I didn’t even tell anyone about. Which means that everyone probably expected me to be home by three or three-thirty at the latest. As I turned onto the driveway, the first thing that I saw was the blue cop lights.

“Crap!” I cursed to myself. Of course, I knew that my mom would be worried considering that I was supposed to be home _hours_ ago, but I didn’t think that she’d call the police. I knew I was in deep shit as soon as I saw the two officers, Mom, John, and Alex standing outside talking. Mom was almost in tears and the worry on both John and Alex’s faces were clear. I was overcome with guilt at being the reason for their expressions. As I got closer, Alex was the first one to see me.

“Riley!” He yelled before running over and almost tackling me in a hug. I stood frozen for a moment before I returned the hug. By the time we pulled apart, everyone else had crowded around me, asking questions and checking if I was okay.

“Guys, I’m fine. Really. I’m sorry I’m late. I just got…caught up in something and lost track of time.” I tried to explain. It was enough for the cops to leave after double-checking that I was actually okay and informing me of the city curfew for minors. However, it definitely wasn’t enough of an explanation for the members of my family. “Can we go in and sit down before I get the third-degree please? I’m really tired.” I sighed.

“Riley, where have you been?!” Mom asked the moment we sat down. “We’ve been worried sick!”

“Umm,” I hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to tell them the truth. “Well, I met someone, and we started talking. I got so caught up in the conversation that I lost track of time and didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”

“And what is this someone’s name?” John asked while raising an eyebrow.

“…Richard.” I sighed.

“So, it was a boy? You’ve been off with some _boy_ for the past eight hours?!” My mom practically growled out. My eyes widened at what my mom was implying.

“No! Mom, no, it wasn’t like that at all. I ended up getting detention today, so I left school later than usual. Then, because soccer practice was cancelled, I decided to go for a long run and that’s when we met. We started talking and time just flew by. That’s it. We only talked. I promise you that I didn’t go off and have a sex marathon with some random stranger.” I desperately tried to convince them.

“Guys, I really think she’s telling the truth. She’s back safe and uninjured, so I think we should just leave it at that and all go get some sleep.” Alex joined the conversation. I sent a grateful smile in his direction.

“I think she’s telling the truth as well. But, I don’t think she’s telling us all of it. You’re leaving something out. Aren’t you, Riley?” John calmly asked. I think I’m starting to realize why he’s such a successful businessman.

“Riley?” Mom asked softly.

“I…I can’t tell you.” I mumbled, staring down at my shoes.

“Why can’t you tell us? Did he threaten to hurt you if you told someone? Did he do something to you? I promise you, Riley, if you are afraid of what he will do, we will protect you.”

“No.” I mumbled. “He didn’t…it wasn’t…it’s complicated.”

“Riley, _who_ is he?”

“He didn’t tell me his last name. I don’t know where he’s from and I honestly don’t know a lot about him. But, if he was telling me the truth, I assume his last name is Chase. Richard Chase.”

“Wait. _Chase_? Isn’t that your-”

“Yes.” I answered, interrupting Alex’s question. “According to him, he’s my brother. Well, half-brother. I don’t know how he found me or how he even knew who I was. I don’t know anything about his dad or his life or anything else. Yes, we talked about some stuff, but I don’t know anything about his personal life nor do I care to know. I left and told him to leave me alone and never speak to me again. That’s honestly the whole story. One which I am still wrapping my head around, so if it’s okay with you all, I’d like to go to bed now.” I stood up to leave, honestly not caring whether they were okay with it or not. I was really just done with the entire situation.

I went up to my room and immediately stripped before standing underneath the scalding water from the shower. I didn’t know how long I stood there thinking about Richard and the man who gave me half of my DNA. It was surreal. I’ve spent so much of my life hating this idea of a man, but it wasn’t until now that that idea became a reality. All of these years I’ve known he existed, but he never seemed…real. He was always the shadow in the depths of my mind, a being whose existence was like a whisper, a ghost that is unable to be seen. But, he has been seen. There is someone who has seen him, who knows that he is real, who knows that he isn’t just a fleeing thought or a figment of one’s imagination. I jumped out of the shower and quickly dressed before quietly creeping out of my room and up the stairs. There was a moment of hesitation as my fist hovered over the door. Did I really want to know? Is this really what I wanted to do? Apparently, my body had already decided because I was knocking on the door before I was even able to answer my own questions.

“Riley?”

“Hey, Mom. I’m sorry for earlier, but I was wondering if we could talk?”  


	8. Chapter 8

“What is it that you want to talk about?” Mom asked. I sat quietly for a second before sighing and staring down at my feet.

“I…um…I wanted to ask you about…I mean, I just wanted to…” I tried to explain before giving up and hanging my head in defeat.

“You want to talk about your father.” She stated, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “After talking to Richard, I just…not that I really care or anything but…I don’t even know the man’s name.”

Mom sat quietly for a second before letting out a small sigh.

“When we first met, he introduced himself as Michael. I was nineteen and was alternating between couch surfing and living on the street. I didn’t know what I was doing with my life at the time and my parents basically told me to get a job, an education, or get out. I met Michael at a park after I had been on my own for about a week. It wasn’t until right before we got married that he told me his real name was Leo Chase.” Mom explained.

“Wait. _Married_?” I asked, looking over at her in shock.

“Yes. We were young. We ran off to Vegas on a whim about a year after we first met. It was honestly all very cliché. We had been married for about eighteen months when I found out that I was pregnant with you. One morning, about a week after I told him, I woke up and all traces of him were gone. It was as if he never even existed. There weren’t any documents or pictures or records. He was just gone. I was heartbroken and just…lost. So, I packed up my things and went back home only to find that my parents had died in a car accident the year before. I had no clue what I was going to do, but, as luck would have it, I ended up running into my childhood best friend, Julian.”

“Sam’s dad,” I whispered.

“He saved me that day. He took me in, helped me throughout my pregnancy, was right there in the hospital room the day you were born.” She said, smiling over at me. “He was actually the one who named you. He stayed with you as I finished school or when I had to work. You meant everything to him.”

“So, why-” I couldn’t keep my voice from cracking as the tears ran down my face. “Why not give me his name? Why would you-” I couldn’t even finish the sentence as I was cut off by the sobs that erupted from my chest.

“Because, even after everything, Leo is still your father and there was a point in my life where I did love him. I know that you probably believed that your father was a one-night stand, but he wasn’t. We had a very good life together and I wasn’t going to pretend as if those years never happened. I know that he left and broke my heart, but he gave me something that I will forever be grateful to him for. He gave me you. You and your sister are the best things I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. You have your father’s name because that’s who you are. The daughter of the kind and caring man that saved a homeless nineteen-year-old from her own self-destruction. I know you only know him as the man who left us, but he was honestly a good man.”

I was bawling in my mom’s arm like a newborn baby. I couldn’t help it. There was so much that I hadn’t known. That I _chose_ not to know. I really don’t even remember how long I cried. I don’t remember walking with my mom up the stairs. But, I remember curling up next to her on the bed in my room. I remember clutching onto her shirt as if it was my lifeline. I remember her pressing soft kisses to my forehead. And, I remember crying myself to sleep with her gently running her hand through my hair.

***

I could tell that I was alone as soon as I woke up. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to feel. So, I did what I always did when I felt overwhelmed. I went for a run. It was still dark outside which means that I probably didn’t sleep for that long, but I didn’t care. It’s not like I could go back to sleep now anyway. I found myself aimlessly running through the streets with only the moon as my light source. I didn’t know where I was running. I just wanted to focus on anything other than what I learned. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. My aimless running led me to a park that was a couple of miles away from the school. Sometimes, after tryouts were over for the day, some of us would come over and hang out. It was quite peaceful. As I slowed to a walk, I noticed that I wasn’t alone in the park. There was a lone figure sitting bent over on one of the benches in front of the river. As I slowly approached, I began to realize that I actually recognized that figure. But, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing here alone this late at night.

“Sara.” I softly called, trying not to startle her. She didn’t respond, not even a flinch. “Sara,” I called a little louder, trying to get her attention. There was still no response. Worried now, I carefully made my way over to her and slowly sat beside her on the bench. She just continued to sit there, staring wordlessly out over the river. Not knowing if my touch would be welcome or not, I carefully reached out to brush her hair back behind her ear. It was only then that she closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath.

“How did you know I was here?” She whispered so quietly that I almost missed it.

“I didn’t know,” I whispered back, just as quietly. “But I’m glad I found you.”

“Why? Why would you even care?”

“Because you’re my friend, Sara. And as your friend, I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything.” I whispered with as much sincerity as I could.

“That’s what my mother used to say, too. That I could talk to her about anything. That she’d always be there for me, she’d always love me, no matter what. But that’s apparently a lie.”

“What happened, Sara? Maybe…maybe I could help. I don’t like to see you sad and hurting. Please just tell me what I can do to help you?” I pleaded.

“Thanks, Riley.” Sara sighed out. “But there’s nothing you _can_ do. I’m just being stupid like always. A stupid idiot who doesn’t know when to keep her mouth shut.”

“Sara, you’re not-”

“I should go. And you should, too. We have school in a few hours.” Sara said, abruptly standing.

“No.” I immediately stood, reaching out to grab her wrist. “Please, Sara. Talk to me.” I practically begged. Sara only closed her eyes.

“I told her.” She sighed. “I told my mom about…I told her that…I told her-”

“Told her what?” I desperately asked as I stepped closer to her so that there was barely an inch of space between us. “What did you tell her, Sara?”

“I told her that I’m…” Sara didn’t finish her sentence. Before I could even register what was happening, Sara’s lips were on mine and my mind went completely blank. I couldn’t actually process the fact that Sara was actually _kissing_ me. Before I could even gain my bearings enough to actually _kiss her back_ , she was gone. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…I’m sorry.” Was all she said before she turned and ran away. And I just stood there and watched her leave like an idiot. Speechless.


	9. Chapter 9

I didn’t get to speak to Sara for the rest of the week. I still saw her at school because we had classes and soccer together but every time I would try to talk to her she would just go in the opposite direction or put in her earbuds. I couldn’t help but feel as if I did something wrong. I mean, _she_ kissed _me_ and then ran away without giving me the chance to say anything. Even outside of my obvious attraction to her, she and Adrian had quickly become my best friends here and having her ignore me hurt more than I was willing to admit. On top of having Sara ignoring me, I was still constantly plagued by my conversation with Richard and the subsequent conversation with my mother. Even Alex was acting differently around me now like I was some fragile child on the verge of a mental breakdown. Which, if I’m being honest, might not be that far-fetched of an assumption. I could literally _feel_ my life falling apart before my eyes and all I can do is just stand and watch. I had absolutely _no_ idea what was being taught in class. I barely ate or slept or spoke to anyone. And, worst of all, I sucked at soccer. I was doing so terribly, in fact, that Troy told me to just get my stuff and leave. I didn’t even bother trying to form some kind of excuse because I knew that there wasn’t one. I just left the field and sat in the hallway that led to the locker rooms with my head in my hands. I knew that I was screwing up. I knew that we had a game tomorrow. I knew that it was do-or-die important, but I just couldn’t focus. I was the captain and was letting my team down, but I just couldn’t bring myself to snap out of it.

_‘Those goals aren’t going to score themselves, you know?’_

“I know.”

_‘Then, what are you doing out here, Riley?’_

“I don’t know.”

_‘Oh, come on. I know that’s not my daughter giving up. I know that I didn’t raise a quitter.’_

“Can I even still call myself that?”

_‘Riley, you’re always going to be my daughter. No matter what. I love you and I always will. You know that. I knew from the beginning that we didn’t share any blood, but we share something much deeper than that. You are my heart and soul, Riley. My pride and joy. My oldest daughter. And I am_ so _sorry that I had to leave. I’m sorry that I had to leave you and your mom and your sister. I’m sorry I’m not able to physically be there for you. But I’m right here, Riley. I will always be here for you.’_

“Riley!” A voice said off in the distance.

“Please don’t leave me.”

“Riley, wake up!” The voice was louder this time.

_‘I never will. I need you to keep scoring goals for me, Riley.’_

“I promise.”

“Oh, thank god. Riley are you okay?” I knew that voice. It was one that I hadn’t heard in what seemed like forever.

“Sara.” I breathed out as I opened my eyes to meet her hazel ones staring right back at me.

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?” She asked as she helped me to sit up.

“What happened?” I asked, basking in the sound of her voice.

“After Troy told you to leave, I realized that I needed to pull my head out of my ass and stop avoiding you, so I followed you here. Only, I found you here passed out on the floor and it didn’t look like you were breathing, and I panicked.” Sara explained, pulling me into an embrace. “But, you’re okay though right. I mean, should I still call an ambulance or-” This time I was the one who cut her off with a kiss.

“I am perfectly fine.” I panted out. “I don’t need an ambulance. All I need is you.” I managed to get out before she pulled me in for another kiss. It felt as if my world, my entire universe had righted itself again at that moment. I felt invincible like I could do anything I wanted.

“I’m sorry, Riley. I’m so sorry for being childish and ignoring you these past few days. I didn’t think that-”

“Shh. You’re here now and that’s all that matters. Okay?”

“Okay. We should probably head back out to the field now.”

“Yeah, I guess we should.”

 “Hey, Coach. I’m really sorry about earlier.” I said, walking up to Troy as Sara went back on the field. “I just wasn’t myself. But, I’m good now and, if you’ll let me, I’d like to get back on the field and practice with the rest of the team for the big game tomorrow. I know that I messed up and I know that I let the team down and I understand that my actions have consequences. So, I will completely understand if you still want me gone.”

“A good team has to have good captains, Riley. I know everyone can have off days, but you have to leave whatever it is that’s been bothering you on the sidelines. I can’t have a repeat of what’s been happening these past few days happen again because it’s not just affecting you, it affects the whole team. You’re one of the best players on the field, but as I said before, skill isn’t everything. But, this team still needs you. So, you will still practice today and play in the game tomorrow, but after you return from break, you’ll stay after an extra hour each practice to help with maintenance. Meaning you’ll be responsible for mowing the field, repainting the lines, inflating the balls, and basically the general upkeep of both the field and the locker rooms.”

“I understand. Thank you, Coach.”

“Now, you know better.”

“Sorry. Thank you, Troy.”

“Much better! Get on out there and practice with your team.”

***

The best part about having a mostly black room is not being woken up each morning by the brightness of the Sun. The bad thing about having a mostly black room is that it did nothing to stop the two girls who must have a death wish.

“Riley, wake up!” One of the voices yelled. I was honestly too focused on trying to go back to sleep to try and discern the voices. It had been a very exciting night. Our soccer team won last night’s game which led to us all deciding to go celebrate until the wee hours of the morning. And, since it was the last day before our two-week long fall break, we felt no need to tone it down any.

“Go away,” I mumbled into my pillow.

“Nuh uh. There’s a super-hot guy and some chick downstairs that’s asking for you.” Maya’s voice filtered through my post-sleep haze. As soon as the words registered, my eyes snapped open. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, throwing on clothes that I grabbed along the way. I quickly splashed some water on my face before throwing my hair into a messy ponytail. I managed to accomplish all of that and be downstairs in under three minutes. I think that was a new record for me. I paused at the doorway leading into the main room to check that I at least looked presentable before stepping around the corner only to stop dead in my tracks.

“Adrian?” I asked in surprise. When Maya had said “super-hot guy”, I had assumed that she was talking about Richard, even though he’s my brother, or really anyone other than Richard.

“Well, dang. Am I just not here or something?” Another voice said. I turned around to find Sara sitting on the sofa across from Adrian. I couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on my face.

“I’m sorry, Adrian, did you hear something?” I asked as I pretended to not see her.

“Riley!” Sara exclaimed as both Adrian and I burst out laughing. “You know what? I’ll just go home then since my presence here isn’t appreciated.” Sara said, pretending to be upset as she stood to leave. Still laughing, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she could get too far.

“Hey, Sara! What brings you here? Adrian and I were just talking about you. All good things.” I managed to say with a straight face. Sara only rolled her eyes.

“Alex actually was the one who asked us to come over today. Something about a captains’ chill day or celebration day or something. I don’t even care. This place is seriously awesome. I know it must be so cool to live here.”

“Hello, my fellow soccer captains! Oh, and Riley’s here, too.” Alex said as he walked into the room.

“Speak of the devil.” I heard Adrian murmur underneath his breath. I only raised an eyebrow in his direction. Adrian only shook his head in response. I wonder what that was about.

“Alex, why didn’t you tell me that they were coming over?” I asked him.

“I wanted it to be a surprise. You’ve been down lately, and I thought that it would be cool for us all to hang out together. And, since we’re all soccer captains here, who’s up for a game of two-on-two?”


	10. Chapter 10

Hours later found us all sitting in the hot tub after a rigorous day of soccer. Adrian and I sat on one side while Sara and Alex sat facing us on the other side. We had just been relaxing while having a conversation about soccer when Alex left and came back with a bottle and four glasses.

“Aye, whatcha got there?” Sara asked while trying to read the label on the bottle.

“I honestly don’t even know. I got it out of Dad’s wine cellar. Trust me, he has so many of them that he won’t even miss it.” Alex said as he opened the bottle and filled the glasses, handing one to each of us before climbing back into the tub.

“Alex, are you trying to get us killed?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. I could tell from the smell that whatever Alex had poured in these glasses was _really_ strong. He only laughed and shook his head before taking a sip from his glass.

“No. I’m trying to get you drunk. And, before you say anything, your mom just called from the hospital and said that there was some emergency and that she will have to stay at the hospital all this weekend. I’m not sure what it was exactly, something about having to be there around the clock for a patient. And I know that Dad is on his business trip thing until Monday night, so we’re on our own all weekend. I plan to take complete advantage of this lack of parental supervision.” Alex actually had a point. Even still, we all sat in silence for a moment before hesitantly bringing out glasses to our lips in unison.

By the time the whole bottle was gone, we were all very drunk. Well, no, scratch that.  _They_  were all drunk.  _I_  was perfectly fine. And, by perfectly fine, I mean I didn’t have any symptoms at all. I wasn’t even a little dizzy. But, apparently, my lack of intoxication didn't stop them from forcing me to play Never Have I Ever with them. And, unfortunately, there were wages to the game as well.

"Okay, look, rules are easy." Alex drunkenly began to explain. "If you done it, then a piece of wear goes bye-bye."

"So, if we've done the thing that has been said, we have to remove an article of clothing?" Maya translated. The girls had joined us around ten o'clock or so. We didn't let them drink any alcohol as we all thought they were still too young for that, but we’ve let them chill with us for the past couple of hours. It seemed that they were actually very entertained by the three drunken teenagers stumbling around the house.

"Yep. What happens in this room, stays." Alex answered. Some part of me already knew that this might be a bad idea, but, for whatever reason, I sat down anyway.

"Oh. And you have to be honest." Sam added. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll go first." Alex paused for a second. "Never have I ever failed a class."

We all just sat there in silence until Adrian sighed and kicked off one of his shoes.

"Dang man. That's rough." Sam commented.

"Whatever. Never have I ever... I don't know... kissed a guy?" Adrian responded. Sam, Sara, and I all groaned before each pulling off a sock.

"Okay. Never have I ever gotten into a fight." Maya said, taking the lead. Adrian, Alex, Sara, and I were all guilty of that one. The game continued on until Adrian and I were one statement away from showing some skin. Sara and Sam weren't far behind.

"Alright," Maya said, clapping her hands together. "Never have I ever kissed a female I'm not related to."

Crap. I sighed before slowly pulling off my shirt. I heard more than I saw Alex, Adrian, and Sara removing clothing of their own.

“Woah. Riley?” Sam asked shocked. I never actually came out to my family, so Sam’s surprise was understandable. Still, this wasn’t exactly what I had planned in terms of telling them. I mean, I planned to, at some point, but I didn’t think it would be any time in the near future. I’ve known that I was bisexual for a while, but I’ve always kept that to myself. It wasn’t as if I was ashamed or anything, but I guess it never felt like the right time. I really didn’t want to just be like ‘Mom, Sam, I’m bisexual. I still like guys, but I realize that I also like girls now, too. So, yeah. What’s for dinner?’

“Yep.” I nodded. “And with that- You know what? I think I’ll just gracefully bow out of the game and head on up to bed. Night guys.” I said, as I stood and started heading towards my room.

“Riley, wait.” Someone called just as I was about to close my bedroom door. I turned to find Sara standing in the hallway. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, that wasn’t how I planned to tell them, but I guess it really doesn’t matter one way or the other.”

“Are you sure that you’ll be okay with people knowing though?” She whispered as she twisted her hands together nervously. “I mean, what if one day someone decided to ask you-” I pulled her into a heated kiss, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. It felt even better than the first time. “Riley?” She breathlessly asked as she looked at me through hooded, lust-filled eyes. I quickly pulled her the rest of the way into the room, making sure to close and lock the door, before I pushed her against the wall.

“Have you ever done this before?” I breathed out as I began to trail kisses down her neck.

“No.” She said as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Have you?”

“A few times.” I continued my journey down her neck, making sure to leave marks behind. “Are you sure you want to?”

“Yes. I’m sure. I want you to be my first, Riley.”

I crushed my lips against hers as I pulled her closer to me.

“Say it again.” I murmured as I pulled her earlobe in between my teeth.

"I want you to make me yours. I want you to claim my body, Riley. I want you to make love to me. Please." She gasped out. That was all I needed to hear before my lips were crashing against hers again. This kiss was all aggression, lust, and pure primal instinct. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip, asking for permission which she happily granted me. The kiss quickly turned into a battle of dominance, one in which she quickly conceded. Her surrender was immediately followed by a low moan that spurred me on. My hands began to roam over her body, running along every inch of exposed skin. They traveled over every inch, every curve, memorizing each little dip, each crevice as they went. My hands traveled lower until they reached the back of her thighs and then they were grabbing. Making sure that I had a firm grip, I lifted her feet off the floor and her legs quickly wrapped themselves around my waist. I pushed her harder against the wall as I deepened the kiss before I slowly started to grind against her. We stayed like that for a while until she started to grow impatient. Smirking slightly, I broke the kiss, moving instead to place kisses down her neck and along her collarbone, staking my claim on her skin as I went. Her hands were tangled in my hair, her head thrown back, and an endless stream of moans were coming from her. As turned on as I was from the nearly pornographic sounds coming from her, I knew that I couldn’t let her first time be against my bedroom wall, no matter how much I just wanted to take her right then and there. I tightened my hold on her before effortlessly crossing the room and laying her gently on the bed, all while still trailing kisses along her body.

"Riley. Please." She whimpered as her body arched up against me. I pulled back and smirked at her disheveled appearance before quickly removing her shirt and bra. I only stopped for a second to admire the newly exposed skin before my mouth was attacking it, going from one exposed breast to the other. Her moans only intensified, spurring me on even more. "Riley, I need you to touch me." Sara panted. "I need you in me." I pulled back to look in her eyes before crushing my lips against hers in a bruising kiss; my hands making quick work of her remaining clothes. It was only after I had thrown her last articles of clothing across the room somewhere, did I break the kiss to pull back completely and look at her.

"Sara," I whispered, looking up into her eyes, noticing her shy look. "You're beautiful." I leaned back down to kiss her again, hoping she felt the truth in my words. It was only when she started tugging at the fabric of my sports bra that I realized that I was, in fact, still clothed. I pulled back and smiled at her before quickly tugging the material off and flinging it across the room. When we were both finally undressed, I looked at her again. "Are you sure?" I asked, searching her eyes for any uncertainty. The only answer I got was her hand reaching up to my hair and pulling me back down for a fierce kiss, my hand already started on its journey to where I know she wanted me the most. It didn't take long for us both to succumb to a night of bliss.


	11. Chapter 11

I woke up with a strange weight on half of my body. Curious as to what it might be, I opened my eyes only to be met with a head of caramel hair. I could only lay there confused before the events from last night came rushing back to me.

“Crap,” I whispered to myself. Or, at least, I _thought_ I whispered it. As soon as the word left my mouth, Sara started to move. I could imagine that the worry and dread were plain on my face as I watched her register our current position. I held my breath as she finally turned to look up at me. However, my worry left the moment that a massive smile spread across her face as she moved up from my chest to kiss me.

“What’s wrong?” She asked as her smile slowly started to disappear. “Are you… do you regret last night?”

“Of course I don’t regret last night,” I answered as I brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear before placing a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. “It was definitely one of the best nights of my life. I was just worried that you would have changed your mind or that you thought we were moving too fast. I wasn’t sure if you would still want me anymore.” I honestly answered.

“Riley, I meant what I said last night. I still want to be yours. I’ve wanted that for a while now actually. But, if you think that we are moving too fast, I completely understand, and we can just take our time to work on this relationship. I mean…I don’t mean to assume that we’re in a relationship now just because we’ve had sex. I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. Not that I think that I’d-”

“Sara,” I said with a smile, cutting off her rambling. “Will you do me the extraordinary honor of being my girlfriend?” She looked down at me in shock.

“What?”

I sat up, bringing her with me, before turning to look into those beautiful hazel orbs. “I don’t want this to be a one-time thing either. I feel this connection to you and I would like to explore it further. You’re a beautiful, badass soccer player who I’m elated to be captaining with. You’re my best friend and I know that I will always be able to count on you to be in my corner. You’re the reason that I am able to smile every day and I know for a fact that I would be completely devastated if you weren’t in my life. You’re everything I could possibly want, and it would make me extremely happy if I could call you mine. So, Sara Hamilton, will you be my girlfriend?” Before I even knew what was happening, I found myself laying back on the bed as I was smothered in kisses.

“Yes, yes, yes! Yes, I will be your girlfriend, Riley Chase!” She exclaimed as she punctuated each ‘yes’ with a kiss. I laughed before pulling her in for a proper kiss.

“Well, this has been a great morning.”

“Yes, it has.”

“We could make it an even better morning.” I husked out as I gently rolled us so that she was underneath me.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure much could top the morning I’ve had.” She teased with a smirk.

“Challenge accepted.”

***

It was almost noon when we finally emerged from my room. I must admit that I felt a sense of pride as Sara was unable to walk normally down the hallway. Even still, I pushed her against the wall for a few quick apology kisses that turned into a semi-steamy make out session. With us being unable to keep our hands off of each other, it took us way longer than it should have to make it down into the kitchen. However, as soon as we walked in the kitchen, we both stopped dead in our tracks. Adrian and Maya appeared to be playing tonsil hockey in the middle of the kitchen.

“That was quick.” They immediately jumped apart from each, turning around in a panic before relaxing when they realized that it was us.

“Please don’t tell Alex.” Maya desperately pleaded. All of a sudden, Adrian’s comment about Alex being the devil made sense. Although, I did wonder how long the two of them have been a thing. I remember the first day I met Adrian, he didn’t even know that Maya existed.

“Why are you so worried about Alex finding out?” Sara asked curiously. I was wondering the same. They both seemed really freaked when we first came in. I wonder if Alex pulled the big brother card and doesn’t approve of his little sister dating.

“I know it may not seem like it, but sometimes Alex can get really mad. And whenever he gets mad, I don’t know what exactly, but something…happens to him. The last guy that pissed him off ended up in the ICU after Alex threw him through a brick wall. I just…I don’t want anything to happen to Adrian because of me. Alex has practically forbidden me from even _looking_ at guys so if he knew…” Maya dejectedly explained.

“Then, he’d freak.” Adrian finished. “And while I’d like to think I could take Tremmor in a fight, he’d mop the floor with me.”

“I understand. I really think you should probably sit down and talk to him though. I mean, Alex is your brother not your dad. As far as I’m concerned, as long as Sam doesn’t date some douche, then she can do whatever she’d like. Same goes for the both of you. Whatever you two have going on between you is your business, not mine. The only person who I’d care about dating someone else is right here.” I finished, wrapping my arms around Sara’s waist.

“Wait. What?”

“It’s about time.”

Maya and Adrian both said at the same time.

“We became official this morning.”

“That’s great! I’m glad to see you two finally together. It has been painful watching the both of you pine over each other.” Adrian said with a giant smirk on his face.

“I wouldn’t say that we were _pining_ , it-”

Sara was cut off by a knock on the door.

“Who is that? Is anybody expecting anyone? Sam and Alex both have a key and they left about ten minutes ago. They can’t be back already.” Maya asked as she left to go answer the door. We all stood silently in the kitchen as we tried to listen to the conversation at the door. They weren’t speaking loud enough for any of us to be able to discern any of the voices. We didn’t have to wait for long though because we soon heard the sound of three different footsteps coming in our direction. We all watched the kitchen doorway as Maya walked back into the room with two guys…well, men.

“Riley? They say that they know you.” She questioned as she waved her hands awkwardly in their direction. However, I could only stand there in shock at the people behind her.

“I’m sorry for the slight confusion. She’s only met my son Richard here. But I am glad to finally be here. It’s good to finally be able to meet you, Riley. My name’s Leo.”


	12. Chapter 12

“Hey guys, I’m going to go talk to these gentlemen outside,” I said, in a voice that was surprisingly void of the rage that I felt coursing through my body, as I turned to walk out the back door.

“Riley,” Sara said, grabbing my wrist. “Is everything okay?” I turned back around to see Sara, Maya, and Adrian looking at me with a worried expression. I felt the anger drain from my face as I locked eyes with Sara.

“It’s fine,” I told her as I gently placed my hand over her hand. “I promise. I’ll be right back babe.” She gave me a small nod before she let go of my wrist. I leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before I turned and continued out the door with the unwanted visitors following along behind me. Only when I was sure that we were far enough away that no one could eavesdrop, I stopped and spun around to face them. As much as it pained me to admit, there’s no way for me to deny that the man standing in front of me contributed to my conception. A lot of my physical appearance is very obviously from this man. The first thing that I noticed about him was that he was tall, probably even taller than John. He had bright grey eyes and dirty blonde hair that sat in a messy pile on his head. His facial features had a softness and, dare I say, _kindness_ to them. And he had a darker blonde van dyke styled beard. That was it. Unlike Richard, Leo didn’t seem to have any tattoos or scars from what I could see. He wasn’t even muscular. He reminded me more of a basketball player; slim and skinny build but still toned. And, as if that didn’t freak me out, he was wearing Jordan’s, black jeans with a white shirt, and a black cap that he had on backward. He didn’t look _anything_ like how I had imagined he would. He just looked like a normal man.

“What do you want?” I growled at Leo, my anger quickly returning to me.

“I wanted to meet my daughter and my first-born child for the first time.” He sighed out as he put his hands in his pockets. “I understand that you’re pissed at me, and you have every right to be, but I have been looking forward to this moment the moment your mother told me that she was pregnant with you. It killed me to have to leave but I had to for your sake. If I had stayed, you would have never been able to live a normal life. I did what was best for you, Riley.”

“I am sixteen years old. _Sixteen_. And you think that after all this time I would just accept some shit answer like that?! No! You had _nothing_ to do with my life. I lived a _normal_ life because there was actually a man willing to step up and be the father that you weren’t. _He_ didn’t run out on us. So, yeah, that excuse about me _“changing”_ or whatever is crap.”

“I know that Jason told you about what being my oldest child means. I know that he told you about some of the things that come along with it. But, I need you to understand that it is _extremely_ rare that a female is the firstborn. Since you are, you’ll be unable to carry children to term and yet, your main goal will be to create heirs that will continue the line. Your sexual preference isn’t just happenstance, it’s you changing. What happened between you and your girlfriend in there was your body responding to my proximity. That primal instinct you felt? It wasn’t just your teenage hormones kicking in. Just like how yours are changing now because I’m so close to you. If I were to touch you-”

“What do you mean my eyes are changing?” I interrupted.

“They look more like Dad’s now than like mine. You’ve got that weird, bright, glowy thing going on.” Richard answered. I looked over at Leo’s eyes and tried to picture them on myself. It honestly looked badass in my head, but I wasn’t going to let them know that.

“So, you’re saying that my _sexuality_ is because of this crap from you?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” He sighed.

“Good to know.”

“This ‘crap’, as you call it, is also responsible for your soccer abilities and your physical skills in general.”

“Oh, really? Well, if this ‘superpower’ or whatever is responsible for my skills, then how is Alex almost as good as me?” I really thought that it was a fairly innocent question. However, I found myself to be greatly mistaken as his face quickly changed into one of pure fury.

“I don’t know whether to find it very coincidental or suspicious that you are under the same roof as my sister’s spawns,” Leo growled. It was at that moment that I saw a flash of the real Leo. Despite my big talk, that small flash was enough to make me take a step back in fear. I noticed that Richard did the same.

“Father?” Richard nervously called. Leo only closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again. The moment he did, I honestly wished that I had never asked the question in the first place. His eyes were full on _glowing_ a bright grey and his face had turned into a hard, cold, stone mask. I was looking at the real Leo. This was the Alpha.

“He is strong now because he has already changed. How he is now is as strong as he’ll get. After the girl changes, she will be even weaker than him. I have a sister, a twin, which has never happened before for our kind. Never have we had the first-born be a twin. She was birthed first and I was second. Because of this, our father believed that she would be the one to inherit the title. He thought that she was the heir. However, when we turned twelve, I began to show the signs of the heir and she didn’t. Because we were twins, she was stronger than a second-born should be, but she was still weaker than me. But, because she wasn’t the heir, she was able to conceive and bear children. Those two _abominations_ in that house are hers.” I won’t even pretend that I wasn’t scared shitless from the pure power that was radiating off of him. However, somewhere deep inside of myself, there was still this small brave (or possibly stupid) part of me.

“What makes them abominations and why do you hate them so much?” I defensively asked.

“They aren’t supposed to exist! _She_ wasn’t supposed to exist! And because they do, her first-born, the boy, can take your title from you if you don’t claim it!”

“What? Alex wouldn’t…he doesn’t even _know_ about any of this.” I stuttered out in shock. Leo growled menacingly as he stepped towards me. I immediately stepped back in fear.

“If you think for ONE SECOND that my sister isn’t planning to use that boy to get my power, then you’re sorely mistaken! And if you even _THINK_ that I am just going to stand by and allow that to happen, then you’re a fool! I don’t give a _damn_ about whatever that boy might or might not know. Because, whether you want it or not, you are _going_ to accept your birthright.” Leo snarled, still continuing towards me.

“Father-” Richard called out warily.

“ ** _NO!_** This isn’t _OPTIONAL_! Riley, you will either come here and accept it willingly or I will _make_ you! Take your pick.” Leo roared. I could only shake my head as I continued to try and put as much space as possible between me and him.

“No, I don’t want this! I’m not going to do it!” I screamed as I prepared myself to run away.

"Riley,  ** _come here_** ," Leo ordered. I was about to refuse again but my body began to walk towards him against my will. I stopped about a foot from him. "Not only am I your  _father,_ but I am also your  ** _ALPHA_**. You  ** _DO NOT_**  refuse me. But I promise you  _will_  understand soon." And with that, he grabbed me. I was engulfed in what could only be described as pure _agony_ before I succumbed to unconsciousness.


	13. Chapter 13

“Riley! Come on. Wake Up! Please.” A familiar voice filtered through the haze. That same voice called my name a few more times before I was able to blink open my eyes. After a couple of seconds, the blurry outline of my friends and family finally came into view.

“Oh my god! Riley, you’re awake!” Sam’s voice shouted. I groaned at the massive headache and ringing in my ears that it caused.

“Yes,” I muttered as I attempted to sit up. My head felt as if it weighed more than my entire body. “It appears so. Now, can someone fill me in on what happened? Like, how did I get back in the house? And what happened to the people I had been talking to?”

They all glanced at each other before Adrian decided to speak up.

“Well, we were actually hoping that you could tell us. You went outside to talk to that Leo dude and, after about an hour had passed, we got worried. So, Alex and I went out to go make sure you were okay, but we found you passed out on the ground and the guys were gone. I carried you back into the house while Sam called your mom and we’ve just been sitting here worriedly waiting for you to wake up or for your mom to get here.”

I sat quietly as I took in the new information and tried to remember my interaction with Leo. He had said something about me needing to change and something about Alex changing. I quickly glanced over at Alex and Maya as I wondered what exactly he had meant.

“I’m fine, guys. I promise. But, thank you for helping me out,” I said as I stood and slowly began making my way to the stairs. “Just…I’ll be back in a minute.” Ignoring their questions, I turned and jogged up to my room, making sure that I locked the door behind me. I immediately stripped and hurried into the bathroom. The minute that I saw my reflection, I froze in shock. My once toned body now had well-defined muscles, almost masculine in appearance. My previously shoulder-length hair now fell midway down my back and my eyes were a brighter grey. In addition to those body modifications, I had a massive tattoo that adorned my body. The tattoo started at the back of my neck and followed down my spine before breaking off to follow along my hipbones and trailing down the outsides of my thighs. There was also another part that broke off at the base of my neck to go over both of my arms; forming two bands over my left bicep and wrapping around my right arm to form some kind of intricate design. I was interrupted from my self-examination by a knock on my door. I quickly pulled on my clothes before going over to the door.

“Sam, I really don’t wanna- hi, Mom,” I said. I barely had time to register the panic on her face before she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

“Riley are you okay?” She asked as she tightened her grip on me. I opened my mouth to tell her that I was honestly fine, but a strangled sob burst out instead. One moment I’m fine, the next, I’m sitting on my bed, crying like a toddler in my mother’s arms. I’m not sure how long we sat there, but I was eventually able to get ahold of myself. I could only manage an embarrassed glace in Mom’s direction. “Sorry about that,” I sheepishly muttered.

“You don’t need to apologize for how you’re feeling, baby. I understand,” She gently said as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Well, I met him today. Leo, he came here and wanted to talk. Then, he started spouting some bullsh- um, crap and then I guess I fainted or something at some point,” I whispered.

“So, you know you’re not completely human then?” I snapped my head over to stare at my mom in shock. “Yes, I am aware that your father is…different. I figured that you might probably be as well. Although, I wasn’t ever sure though because you never did anything out of the ordinary when you were growing up.” I sat in shocked silence. My mother knew. This whole time she knew about Leo and his “heirs”.

“Why-why didn’t…how did you…?” I stuttered, trying to voice the many questions that were swimming around my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “So, what am I?” A small smile formed on my mom’s face.

“Stubborn. And hard-headed. You’re a pretty good athlete, too.”

“Mom.”

“Riley.”

“Okay, fine. Did he have tattoos?”

“Your father?” I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Leo. Did Leo have tattoos?” I asked again.

“Yes,” she sighed. “Why?”

“Because of these,” I nervously said as I stood and removed my shirt.

“Oh my god! He did this to you?! He made you get all these tattoos?” She asked with an edge to her voice.

“No. Well, yes. I don’t actually know, Mom. I’m honestly still not even one hundred percent sure that I know what happened. But, I just- I just don’t know. I feel like I don’t know anything right now, Mom. I don’t know what to do.” I weakly responded.

“It’s going to be okay, Riley. Alright? You’ll be fine.” She told me, kissing my forehead. “You should try and get some rest. I have to get back to work now, but if anything else comes up, call me. Okay, baby? I love you.”

“Yeah. Okay, Mom. I love you, too,” I sighed. Of course, me having a life-altering experience wouldn’t be enough to keep my mother home. I waited until she had closed the door before crawling into bed and succumbing to the emotions that were swirling around in my chest.

***

I jerked awake, panting and covered in sweat. I threw off the covers and scrambled to get out of bed, almost face planting in the process.

“Riley.”

I spun around, frantically searching for the owner of the voice. I froze when my eyes locked onto a pair of shining grey eyes across the room.

“Richard,” I snarled. He slowly pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against.

“No. Benjamin actually,” The man, Benjamin, said. I opened my mouth to respond, but my body chose that moment to send another wave of excruciating pain through my entire frame. I could only cry out as my legs collapsed from underneath me.

“Riley, I know it hurts, but it will be fine. Okay? Just don’t fight it. Let it happen,” Benjamin calmly said.

“Let… _what_ …happen?” I managed to pant out.

“Your change.”

“Didn’t I…already do…that?” I moaned out as my body felt like it was being engulfed in flames.

“Sort of. This is you changing into your animal form for the first time. We’re were-people. I know my brother probably told you that we aren’t werewolves, and we’re technically not…well, some of us are. And we honestly don’t know what Dad is. Richard and I are both panthers, Jackson is a jaguar, both Ryan and Micah are little cheetahs, and…we’re about to find out what you are.”

If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have punched him. How can he just stand there acting as if we’re at a lunch meeting talking about the weather or something? And how the hell did he even get in my room in the first place?! I didn’t get the chance to think about it any longer as I felt myself fall, yet again, into unconsciousness.   

***

I woke to the feeling of a hand running through my fur. I really need to stop losing consciousness. This can’t be good for my mental health. The hand running through my fur stopped and my eyes snapped open. _Fur_. I have _fur_! I immediately stood, thrown off by the fact that I now had four legs instead of two.

“Well, as far as the most badass goes, you win hands down,” Benjamin said. Only, he didn’t actually seem to have said anything. It was more like, a feeling, I guess.

‘What the hell?’ I thought to myself as I looked around the dark room. I was able to see everything perfectly.

“It’s shocking. I know,” Benjamin said, walking into my line of sight. “Your animal seems to suit you though.”

‘Animal. Right. I really appreciate the specifics, Benjamin.’ I thought to myself. Benjamin walked past me into my bathroom and flipped the switch before I could continue complaining about his lack of detail. I walked over to him on steady legs, surprised at how quickly I had gotten used to my new body. A body that I hoped wasn't like, an over-sized dog or something. By the time I reached my full body mirror, I was slightly panicking at the thought of what animal body I was now in control of. That panic stopped, along with my heart, at the sight that greeted me in the mirror. I wasn't an over-sized dog. No. I was just an over-sized cat. Pitch black fur, striped with white. Long black tail, the slight upwards curl being the only thing to keep it from dragging the ground. Broad, muscular shoulders. Powerful legs. Four-inch fangs. Three-inch claws sharp enough to tear through flesh like butter. There, staring back at me with bright, piercing gray eyes was a black five-foot tiger.

'Great.'


	14. Chapter 14

I was gone. Flying through my room and out the open balcony door before leaping over the railing, landing on the lawn beneath as if I had jumped from the top step rather than a two-story balcony. I raced across the lawn faster than I ever thought possible. I had no destination in mind, all I wanted to do was run. Run as far and as fast as I possibly could. I made sure to avoid streets and yards (and trees) but my body seemed to be on autopilot. Dodging and turning and just... _running_ as if I had been born like this. I don’t know how long I ran for before I was finally able to get a grip on my emotions, but the moon was high in the night sky before I finally slowed to a stop, panting lightly. I don't even know what time it was when I left, but it seems like I must have been running for a few hours. However, it only took me a few seconds to realize that I had absolutely no idea where I was. This seems to be a trend for me after interacting with either Richard or his brother. Although, I wasn’t even slightly concerned at being lost in the middle of the woods, possibly hours away from home, as a huge tiger. I felt absolutely no anxiety or worry or anything else that a reasonable person would feel in this situation. I chose to believe that it was because of the exhilaration, adrenaline, and complete emotional shut down from all of the recent events. 

"Or maybe it’s because you're not as lost as you think you are." I felt Benjamin say. I slowly turned, searching for the source of the voice, and my eyes fell on familiar grey ones. Only instead of them belonging to a man, those eyes belonged to a black panther.

'Benjamin?' I thought/said. This animal speech thing is complicated.

"Yep," He responded as the panther walked closer. "Geez, you're big. And apparently a male."

I took a couple of steps back in shock.

"WHAT?!"

"No, no. That came out wrong," Benjamin told me, walking closer. "I meant that your tiger is big. You're a whole three feet taller than me. And then I was slightly shocked that your tiger is male even though your human self isn't."

"My animal is... male?" I asked cautiously. I didn't feel any… _additions_.

"Yeah. I think it has to do with you being an alpha. That's probably why your animal is so big, too."

"But... I'm not an alpha. Leo is supposedly."

"Leo is _the_ Alpha, but you're still _an_ alpha. It's... complicated. But as great as this is, Dad will kill me if I'm not back by dawn."

"Dawn?" I asked, looking up to see the moon still high in the sky. It was then that I really started to grasp just how far I probably was from the house. "I have to get home!"

"Calm your horses, er... tiger?... whatever. Just follow your scent back to your place. It's quite strong honestly. But, yeah, when you get back just focus on being your human self again and that should do the trick. It'd probably be best if you did it in the bathroom, in front of the mirror."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. But I really gotta head back now. Don't worry. Dad will be in touch with you soon. It was nice to finally meet you... big sister." Benjamin said before turning and running off into the woods.

***

'Just follow your scent', he said. 'It's quite strong', he said. 'You're not as lost as you think', he said! Well, screw him! I've never been more freaking lost in my life. I don't even know what my scent is supposed to be! Why doesn't this stuff come with a manual of some sort or, I don't know, some instructions maybe? I'm pretty sure that at the very least I'm supposed to have some kind of instinct or something. Maybe I've got a defective animal. It would explain why I've been wandering around these godforsaken woods for hours. I recall quite clearly informing that Benjamin kid that I needed to get home, but instead of actually helping me get home, he gives some freaking vague ass instructions and runs off. God, I miss the days when my biggest issue was whether I made the soccer team or not. Back when my gene donor was still AWOL, and I had no clue who he was. Those were the simple days. The days before I turned into a giant cat. I guess it's true you never know what you have until it's gone. I let out a harsh breath through my nose. It was as I was breathing back in that I realized that I was standing at the edge of my yard. Well, I guess I do have instincts after all.

A quick jog and an effortless leap and I had made it back into my room. Luckily, it's big enough for me to have room to walk around comfortably. I figured I'd better take Benjamin's advice and try this whole "changing" thing in the bathroom. However, as I turned to head in that direction I heard a small gasp.

"Oh my god!! It’s a…there’s a…oh my god…there’s a FREAKING _TIGER_ IN HERE!!!”

I spun around and found Sara pressed against the far wall with eyes the size of saucers. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was crossing the room towards her. For some reason, I didn’t register that _I_ was the thing that she was scared of until her terror-laden scream stopped me in my tracks.

“Please don’t eat me!” She screamed while tears were streaming down her face. I started to panic. I didn’t know how to tell her that I wasn’t going to hurt her and that she didn’t have to be scared of me. So, I did the only thing I could think to do and licked her across the face and let my tongue loll out of my mouth in what could only be considered the animal version of a grin.

“W-what?” She asked, stunned. I quickly rolled over onto my back and started squirming, causing her to give a small laugh before hesitantly bending over to rub my underbelly. As embarrassing as it is to admit it, I couldn’t stop the loud purr that started the moment she touched me.

“Aww, you’re just a big fluffy baby. Aren’t you? And you have such _pretty_ fur. But…where did you come from? I mean-” As Sara continued talking, I figured that I should try to change back now that she seemed calm enough. Benjamin had just said to think about my human self. How do I- oh. The image of me looking at my human self in a mirror filled my mind and I felt the pain start to spread throughout my body. A loud whimper caused Sara to quickly move away again. I felt as if all the bones in my body were being broken and rearranged, which they probably were. When it was finally over, I laid panting on the floor.

“Riley!” Sara exclaimed before pulling me into an embrace. I immediately tensed up before gently pulling back and scooting away.

“Sara,” I sighed out as I closed my eyes and hung my head.

“Riley, you’re a…you have a…” She stuttered out. I let out a long breath.

“Yeah. I was the tiger. I’m so sorry. I know that you’re probably scared, and I know that this freaks you out. Hell, it freaks me out. But, I’m still the same person I was before. This is new to me as well, and I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I will completely understand if-”

“ _Riley_! I was trying to say that you have a little extra downstairs now, babe.” Sara interrupted my rambling. My head shot up.

“What?!” She only pointed. I followed her finger with my eyes before quickly jumping up in shock. “What the hell?” I grabbed a pillow to cover myself, my face burning with embarrassment.

“Riley, babe, it’s okay,” Sara said placatingly as she walked towards me.

“H-how are you not…freaking out right now?”

“I am freaking out,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “But, as you said, you’re still the same person. You’re the same girl who owns it on the soccer field. You’re the same girl that I’ve known these past few months. You’re still the same girl that gave me the best night of my life. And I still feel the same connection to you. Yeah, you have some freaky shit going on. And yeah, you scared the hell out of me. But, it’s honestly kind of badass if you think about it. And, from what I’ve seen, your not-so-little extra will definitely make our sex life more interesting. Of course, I would like to know the whole story behind this at some point, but for now, as long as you’re okay, I’m okay. Alright?” She finished, kissing my cheek.

“Alright,” I mumbled, nuzzling my face into her neck. “Thank you, Sara.”

“You’re welcome. Now, how about you go shower and I’ll wait out here for you.”

“Okay. And Sara, the others…” I was cut off by lips being pressed firmly against mine.

“Your secret’s safe with me. I promise.”


	15. Chapter 15

It was during my shower that I truly started to think of all the things that have happened since we moved here. I was expecting just another typical lifestyle with a typical step-father and typical step-siblings. I wasn't expecting to find out that my step-siblings are actually my freaking _cousins_ and that my step-dad had two kids with my aunt. I most definitely wasn't expecting for that to be the most normal thing out of everything that's happened. That even sounds freaking weird just saying it. My mom is engaged to the same guy who knocked up my aunt. Twice. That's freaking disgusting. Though, technically, it was the aunt on my gene donor's side of the family, but still. And that in itself leads to the next big life changer that I've had since we've moved here. My "father". The other half of my DNA. My gene donor. The paternal part of my genetics. That man has made my life do a complete one-eighty. I won't say that I was happy, but I was... satisfied with how things used to be. I knew I had a deadbeat dad. I knew that he dropped off the face of the Earth before I was ever born. I knew that my mother found love again. I knew that she got pregnant with my little sister. I knew that even though he was technically my sister's dad, he met all of the requirements of being my father. I knew that after he died, I wouldn't ever be able to call anyone 'Dad' ever again. I knew that there was no chance that I would ever be able to actually even meet my own father. The one who abandoned my mother and left her to raise me alone. I knew all these things as fact.

Only, now they aren't. I've actually met my father. This Leo. I've learned that he actually had a semi-legitimate reason for abandoning me and my mother. I've learned that I have not only a biological father, but I actually have siblings that share some of my same story and were conceived from the same man that I was. I learned that my father isn't human. I learned that _I'm_ not human. And it's not enough that I'm not even one hundred percent human, but I'm actually supposed to be the next leader, the next Alpha, of a world that I know nothing about. I honestly don't even know how I'm going to react the next time I see my supposed father. I don't know what all I could possibly say to him to get him to realize that I don't want this. He says that I don't have a choice, but this is _my_ life. Not his. Not anybody else’s. He's only worried about his damn lineage and status and I'm over here concerned about the rest of my _life_. I actually had plans before all of this. I was going to be the best damn professional soccer player on Earth; maybe even play Olympic soccer and be in the World Cup if I could get there. And now he's telling me that I might as well just throw all that away. That my life is not my own to live. That because he helped in my conception that I owe him. That I am just going to blindly follow him because he's my "father". He doesn't even know a thing about me. All he knows is that I was the first one of his blood to pop out of my mother's womb. That's it. That is all that he cares about. Me being his first child and Alex being his sister's first.

And that's another thing. Alex. He's never even expressed being not human. Maybe I've overlooked it or maybe he's just gotten really good at hiding it, but if he wasn't human wouldn't somebody have noticed something. There's no way that not even one person knows the truth about him. And I can't help but to think 'so what?'. So what he's not human? So what he's my aunt's child? _So what?_ Why can't he be the alpha or whatever? Why does it have to be me? God, all I wanted was to live as normal a life as I could. I just wanted to be a normal teenager who has lived through the tragedy of losing the only father that she's ever known but still manages to pull through and be a daughter that he'd be proud of. That even though he wasn’t a father through blood that he still was in every way that mattered. Why can't I just have that life? Why do I have to be different? How am I even supposed to look at myself now? How am I supposed to act around everybody else now? And what am I supposed to do about my mother? Should I just tell her, and hope that she understands, or should I just keep it from her? They say that a mother's love is unconditional, but does that apply to the mother of a child who is part animal? Or does she already know? She said that she knew I wasn't completely human, but does she know the extent to what that means? What are my plans for my life going to be now? Am I supposed to try and follow Leo, the one who did this to me, or should I still try to stick to my own path? Should I stay, or should I go? What do I _do_?

I have so many questions and not enough answers that I can't even _begin_ to sort this all out by myself. There's so much I have to do and there are so many things that I need to ask so many different people. And it's just so _overwhelming_ the number of things that have happened in such a short period of time. There's so much I don't know and so many things that I need to find out about my family and about myself. There is just _so much_! And I don't even know where to start. I don't know what to do. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Benjamin told me that Leo would be in touch with me, but when? When was he supposed to contact me? Did he plan on waiting another sixteen years or so, just so I could get my life together only for him to come along and uproot it? Or was he planning to pull another stunt as he did earlier and just peruse in while I'm with my family or my friends? He's shown how much he dislikes Alex and Maya, so what were his plans concerning them?

The questions kept circulating in my head long after the shower water had run cold. I know that I’ve been in here for forever, but I can't seem to bring myself to leave. To leave means that I will have to start making decisions that not only concern my life but the lives of other people, too. What am I supposed to tell Sara when she inevitably asks? I get the feeling that the more she knows, the more danger I'm putting her in. And I definitely can't tell Sam. I don't want her to have anything to do with this mess that I've found myself in.

I took a deep, calming breath.

"Whatever happens, happens."

***

“Do you know what you’re going to tell them? Or were you planning on keeping this a secret?” Sara asked, breaking the comfortable silence we had been in. I looked up at her from my spot on her lap.

“I’ll come up with something.”

“It’s easier if you plan out what you’re going to say. It’ll help with the nerves. Although, planning out what you’re going to say doesn’t necessarily prepare you for their reactions. I planned out my whole speech, but like an idiot, I thought that my parents were going to be accepting and understanding but…” Sara trailed off, shrugging.

“Wait. What?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. “What did you tell your parents?”

“Your mom and Alex’s dad are supposed to be back today, aren’t they?”

“Yes?” I answered. I was unsure of what exactly she was talking about. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I didn’t know if you would want to tell them or not. Thinking about it, it might just be easier to keep it quiet for a while,” She answered while shrugging. I sat up and turned to face her.

“Sara, what are you talking about? I don’t think that we’re thinking about the same thing and it’s causing a bit of confusion right now. Care to explain what you’re talking about?” She burst out laughing at the very confused expression on my face. She moved back to sit against the headboard and pulled me to sit in between her legs with my back against her chest.

“I’m _talking_ about,” she started, whispering sensually in my ear. “Telling your mom about _us_.” She intertwined our fingers, placing a lingering kiss on my neck while her other hand began trailing down the side of my body. “And telling her about _this_.” I jumped as her hand cupped in between my legs.

“Oh!” I couldn’t stop the strangled moan from escaping. Based on the smirk against my neck, she knew _exactly_ what she was doing. After all that has happened recently, I had completely forgotten about having to tell my mom about my sexuality and my relationship with Sara. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that I would have to tell my mother about my new addition. This impending conversation is going to be the most awkward and uncomfortable conversation I will ever have with my mother. I don’t even know how I’m going to start that conversation. What would I even-

“Riley! You okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry. I just got lost in thought for a moment. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that I should probably head home. But, I really don’t want to leave you.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around me tighter.

“How about I drive you home? I don’t want you going back by yourself. And we’ll have a little more time together.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” I said, before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

***

“Hey. Can we talk?” It was taking everything I had to just stand in the doorway right now. I have no idea how I’m going to make it through an entire conversation.

“Of course.” Mom said from where she was cuddled up with John in their bed. She started to get up but was stopped by John placing a gentle hand on her arm and motioning for her to sit back down.

“You can both stay here and talk. I’ll be downstairs.” John said, standing from the bed.

“Umm, I actually wanted to talk to the both of you if that’s okay.” I was now regretting not taking Sara’s advice of planning out what I was going to say. Although, in my defense, it took a lot longer to drop off Sara than planned. A simple goodbye kiss turned into a full-on make-out session that left me in a very awkward situation afterward. That is one of the things that I actually need to talk to John about which I’m sure will be even more awkward.

“That’s fine, Riley. What’s on your mind?” He asked as I sat on the corner of the bed. I was trying _really_ hard not to think about all the things that could have possibly happened between the two adults in front of me on this bed.

“Okay. So, first things first. I’m bisexual and I have a girlfriend…or at least, I used to be bisexual? I like both sexes, but I prefer girls.” I hadn’t actually thought about my current sexuality with my new situation. I guess I am still technically bisexual.

“Okay,” My mom said with a smile on her face. “What’s her name?”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? Okay?”

“Riley, I’m your mother. I’ve known you since before you even came into this world. I even knew about that girl you were dating a few years ago even though I’m sure you thought you hid it well. I’ve just been waiting for you to come to me when you were ready.”

“Wow. That’s a relief, I guess. But, I’m dating Sara.” I calmly responded. Internally, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

“Sara…Hamilton? She seems like a very nice young lady.” John said with a smile of his own. “What was the other thing that you wanted to talk to us about?”

“Umm, this one is a lot harder to explain.” I nervously wrung my hands together as I stared down into my lap. “And I’m not really sure how to tell you guys. And I don’t want you to think that I’m completely different now, but I know that sometimes reactions are instinctual and that people can’t always control them and that-”

“Riley, baby, breathe. You don’t have to be nervous to talk to us. I promise. Just tell us and we will be here to support you or help you in any way that we can. Okay?” Mom gently coaxed.

“I have a…” I started, but the word got caught in my throat.

“You have a what, Riley?”

I closed my eyes. I could do this. It was just one sentence and then it’ll be over with. It’ll be out.

“Riley?”

Clearing my throat, I stood from the bed to face my mom and John.

“I have male reproductive organs now.” Wow, could I have said that any worse? But, at least I said it. They just continued to stare at me with confusion plastered over their faces.

“Are you being…serious?” Mom hesitantly asked. I could tell that she wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to respond. Whatever she thought I was going to tell them, this definitely wasn’t it.

“Yes. Deadly. It happened last night, and I can’t explain how. I just figured that the both of you should know.”

“Riley, is this code for something?”

“What? No, this isn’t code for anything. I am being completely honest right now. I told you that it would be hard to explain.”

“And you’re sure that you actually have…you know?”

I let out a frustrated sigh. I guess there is really only one way to get them to believe me. I took a deep breath before grabbing the waistband of my shorts. This was going to be truly mortifying. I closed my eyes and yanked my shorts down to my knees before I could talk myself out of it. I heard their gasps, but I refused to open my eyes.

“Yes. I’m sure.” I calmly said before pulling my shorts back up. I counted down from ten in my head before I opened my eyes. “Do you believe me now?”


	16. Chapter 16

Never in my _life_ have I done anything as utterly _mortifying_ as what I just did. I just _flashed_ my mother! It was kind of necessary seeing as how they didn't believe me, and I suppose it would have been too weird to just take a picture. I mean, it's already weird enough just having it. This is all Leo's fault. My disaster of a life is Leo's fault. My preferences are Leo's fault. Hell, global warming is Leo's fault! As far as I'm concerned, everything wrong on this planet is Leo's fault. Just thinking about that no-good d-

"Riley."

I sighed. Would I ever get peace and time to myself? I swear, every day there's been someone knocking on my freaking door wanting to talk. Why can't these people just LEAVE ME ALONE?!

"Riley." The voice was louder this time and it just so happened to be John's. Great. Can my life get any more messed up? I wonder if I could just drop off the face of the planet within the next thirty seconds. Leo did. Maybe he passed that ability on as well. It would sure be helpf- crap. Of course, I didn't lock the door to my room. Now, he's walking in. What am I supposed to say? I'm opting for nothing. Maybe if I just sit here and let him say what he came to say, he'll leave. I know that I said I needed to talk to him about this stuff, but I honestly don’t think I can handle anymore awkwardness today. I’ve still been avoiding even using the bathroom.

"Riley? Can we... um... is it okay if we..." John stopped and took a deep breath. "Can we talk about this?" I merely raised an eyebrow in response. I guess he took my nonverbal response as an affirmative answer because he decided to take a seat at the foot of my bed. He appeared to be just as nervous, if not more, than I am. Some part of me is hoping that he would realize how awkward this is and just leave.

"So, your mother and I... we thought it would be best if... I'm sorry. This is a conversation that I'd never thought I'd have to have. It was... easier with Alexander because it wasn't as if it was new but..."

My eyes widened as I realized where this conversation was heading.

"Whoa, wait." So much for my plan to stay quiet and wait for him to leave. "Are you talking about... is this the... are you trying to give me the sex/being-aware-of-your-body talk?" I stammered, feeling the burn of embarrassment spread rapidly across my face. I could tell by John's expression that, yes, this was indeed that dreaded talk. What makes it even worse is that this is the second time I've had to through this. Only the first time was slightly less mortifying due to it being a quick "If your age is on the clock, you're too young for the cock" when I was 10. Three years later, I was informed that it included military time which, by that point, I had already had a change in preferences anyway.

"Look, as much as I appreciate the effort and concern, I don't need this. I... I mean if I have questions about... erm... _that_... there's always Google. And I, um know the basics for the most part. Plus, Google's a legal adult now so it won't be weird trying to ask a minor about this stuff." I told him, chuckling nervously while a small smile crept onto his face.

"Alright, ask Google then. But, um, if you do have any questions that Google can't answer..."

"Then, I will ask you."

"Good. So, about the other thing we need to discuss," John said, standing. “I am going to just go ahead and rip off the band-aid. So, going to the bathroom…”

“Oh my god. John, I’m sure that when that time comes I’ll be able to figure it out. We really don’t have to talk about it.”

"Oh, hallelujah!” John breathed out a sigh of relief. “Before I go, your mother told me to tell you that it would be best if you got more... settled... with your, uh, situation before you invest more time in your relationship."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, knowing exactly what he was saying.

"It means that we think that you should keep some distance from your girlfriend until we get a better understanding of what all is going on with you. And I support this decision completely. We’re doing this for your benefit. Do you understand?" John said sternly.

I blinked a few times before bursting into laughter.

"Oh wow, John. Mom's got you whipped. I honestly was believing you at the beginning, but you kind of messed up near the end there." I explained between my laughter while John lost his "stern" face and replaced it with a sheepish look while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Is it that obvious?" He sheepishly asked.

"Yeah. It really is. So, what is the actual ruling?"

"Your mother is still having issues with the changes. She’s actually been going through a bunch of her medical books and research which is why she sent me in here to talk to you instead of coming herself. She also thought it would be best for me to, uh, talk to you about things."

"John," I started to say but he continued speaking.

"However, concerning your girlfriend, I know that we can’t keep the two of you from seeing each other, I do believe that you both should make sure that you’re a lot more careful. We don’t know exactly what all is going on with your situation and as responsible as you are, you are still a teenager with hormones and we don't want unintended consequences. Plus, we would also like to meet this girl. See what she's like."

I only blinked in response. It never even occurred to me that I could potentially _impregnate_ someone. Again, I say, **_this is all Leo's fault_**.

 ***

“Hey, babe. So, I told them. I guess they took it fairly well. My mom’s still kinda hung up on the sex change, but they were super okay with our relationship. They actually want to meet you. Not that you have to or anything but-”

“ _Riley, breathe. I’m glad that everything went okay, and I am perfectly okay with meeting them._ ”

“That’s cool. But, how have you been? What’s going on in the life of the most amazing woman on the planet?”

“ _Alright, Charmer. And I guess I’ve just been…analyzing. Thinking over some things. Avoiding my parents. Missing you. Nothing too extravagant._ ”

“Sara, I think we need to talk,” I said as I narrowed my eyes at the ceiling.

“ _Why do you sound so serious all of a sudden? Did something happen?_ ” I could hear the worry in her voice.

“Yes. Something did happen. It happened a while ago actually, but we never talked about it. And I feel that this is a conversation that we need to have. So, I’ll come and pick you up and then we’re going to go somewhere and talk. Okay?”

“ _Riley, you’ve got me really worried. What exactly are we going to be talking about? Is it something bad?_ ”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes and we can talk about it.”

“ _…Okay, Riley. See you soon._ ”

I hung up the phone and continued to stare at the ceiling. I realized that I probably could have handled that conversation differently, but I really wanted her to know that I am serious about this. I rolled out of bed, grabbed the keys, and headed out the door.

“Hey,” Sara said as she got in the car.

“Hi,” I responded back as I started to drive towards the park.

“So, umm, where are we going?” She was staring down at her hands that were wringing nervously in her lap. I reached over and intertwined our hands together before bringing her hand up to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. I saw her instantly relax out the corner of my eye.

“We’re just going to the park. Although, since it’s the beginning of December, I figured we could still just stay in the car.”

“Okay. That’s fine.” She gave my hand a quick squeeze before falling silent. Neither one of us spoke during the remainder of the drive. It was only after I had parked and adjusted the seat to better face her that I began to speak.

“I am aware that there’s been a lot of stuff going on lately. And I want you to know that you have been amazing throughout all of it.”

“But?” She nervously whispered.

“But there’s something you’re not telling me. And I can tell that you’re hurting about whatever it is, and I can’t just sit back and watch anymore. Every time it gets brought up, you just change the subject. Each time I’d let it go because I felt like you would talk to me when you were ready. But, now I feel as if this is something that you were planning to deal with on your own and I can’t just stand by and watch as you tear yourself up over this.” I reached up to cup her face as I stared into her now tear-filled eyes. “Please, baby, talk to me.” She closed her eyes as the first tear fell.

“I didn’t tell you because it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal,” She croaked out. “I mean, the stuff you’re dealing with now is on a whole other level and I didn’t want to add to that.” I pulled her into me until our faces were practically touching.

“I need you to listen to me, Sara. Don’t you _ever_ feel as if you can’t talk to me. I will _always_ be here for you. I don’t care if you feel like you need to tell me you have a hangnail or that you robbed a bank. You can tell me, and I promise that I’ll do whatever I can to help you in anyway possible. Do you understand?”

“I’m sorry, Riley. I just- I don’t even know where to start or what to say or-”

“It’s okay. Let’s just start at the beginning. What happened with your mom that caused for you to be sitting at the park in the middle of the night? You said that you told her something. What did you tell her?”

 “I-well, that night in the park…that night when you found me in the park was the night that I came out to my mom. I don’t even know why I did it. I’ve always known that she had a problem with people who aren’t heterosexual, but for some reason I thought, like an idiot, that maybe she would react differently if it was her own child. I was greatly mistaken. She was furious and told me to get out which is how I ended up in the park. It was a couple of days before she actually let me back into the house. I had stayed with my aunt during those days and I had hoped that my mom would have a change of heart. But, when I did go back home I-she…I…”

“What happened when you went back home?” I asked as gently as I could.

“Do you remember the night we slept together a couple of nights ago? When I told you that I wanted you to be my first?”

“I’ll never forget it.”

“I need you to know that I’m serious about this relationship. I need you to know that everything that has happened has been genuine and that I truly care for you. And that everything we have is all real for me. Okay? I _need_ you to know that.” Sara desperately pleaded.

“I know,” I said, holding her hands. “And I care about you, too. Nothing you can tell me will change the way that I feel about you. I promise you, Sara. _Nothing_ will change how I feel about you. You can tell me. What happened?”

“When I went back home, my mother was waiting for me. She didn’t seem like she was angry anymore and I thought that maybe she had finally gotten over it… but, that wasn’t the case. She had decided that I needed...therapy…to rid myself of these ‘impure desires’. Only she didn’t mean by actually talking to a therapist…. There was this man there with her -they never told me his name- but, she…she told me that he was going to help _fix_ _me_ and then she left the house…” Sara stopped as she was suddenly wracked with sobs. I quickly moved my seat back before pulling her over into my lap and holding her tightly against me as I fought back tears of my own.

“Sara, did he…did he touch you?” I asked even as I dreaded the answer. I felt my heart stop as I felt her give a small nod.

“But, he didn’t…he didn’t go all the way. He said that he would… that he was going to wait for the next ‘session’ before penetration. That that time was just a warm up, but everything else outside of that was fair game. And afterwards… I tried to pretend that it didn’t happen. I tried to convince myself that there wouldn’t be a next session. But, I was scared of what would happen if there was. He hadn’t been…gentle and I just… I didn’t want my first time to be with him, and I know that I truly care about you. And I…when it happens, with him, I wanted something else to remember during it. And I’ve been afraid to tell you because I didn’t want for you to think of me as gross or to think that I was using you. Because I’m not. But, you give me the strength to keep going every day. I’ve been trying to avoid my mom as much as possible because I don’t know when he’s going to be back. And I know I should have told you, and I’m sorry for keeping this from you.”

“He won’t touch you!” I growled. If it wasn’t for Sara sitting in my lap, I would already be well on my way to hunting him down. “I will tear that fucker to pieces before he _ever_ touches you again. He will _never_ even come _near_ you again, Sara. I promise. I just…baby, I am _so_ sorry that this has happened to you, but it won’t happen again. And I would never blame for something that you had no control over. I will never think that you are gross, and I know that what we have is real. You’re _mine_ , and I will protect you in every way that I can. I promise.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Alright. Now how do I turn this thing on?” I mumbled as I stared down at myself. I was currently standing in the woods, at the beginning of December, stark naked and freezing. The first time I changed had been completely involuntary, but as soon as I actually _want_ to change, I have performance issues. “Oh, come on. Why do I get the defective animal? Just change already dammit! It’s cold out here.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

I quickly spun around, using my hands to cover myself as best as I could. “Benjamin! What the hell are you doing here?” I exclaimed as I slowly started shuffling over to a tree.

“I was just stopping by.” He leaned against a tree with a smirk on his face. “Although, I must say that I wasn’t expecting you to be standing out in the middle of the woods naked and talking to yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I have to figure this thing out at some point or another. Might as well be now.”

“The change isn’t something that you force. It’s something that you just let happen. Just imagine what it is that you want your body to do and it will do it. Your change should be effortless. And when you do it right, it’s painless.”

I guess I could give it a shot. Being able to change without being in agony every single time would be nice.

“Alright. What do I do?”

“Close your eyes. Don’t think about the change itself. Focus on your animal. Find that connection between both of you. Allow for your animal to become you. Don’t force it. It should be like flipping a switch. You are both two sides of the same coin.”

I closed my eyes and tried to picture what he was saying. I saw myself standing alone in a dark room. I slowly turned around and froze the moment that I saw a pair of bright grey eyes staring at me. Those eyes slowly moved closer until I had to tilt my head back to even be able to see them. And for a long moment, we just stood there, staring at each other. I don’t know how long we just stood there looking into each other’s eyes before they gave me a small nod. I returned it with a nod of my own. Then, all of a sudden, the room disappeared, and I found myself back in the forest with Benjamin smiling at me.

“You did it!” I tilted my head in confusion. It was at that moment that I realized I wasn’t standing on two feet anymore. Looking down, I was met with huge paws covered in black fur. Holy shit! I actually changed, and I didn’t even realize it! “You managed to do that way faster than anyone else was able to. It actually took me a couple of days before I was able to connect with my animal.” I was filled with a sense of pride. However, that feeling quickly diminished as I remembered my original reason for coming out here.

‘Thank you for the help, but I really have to go now. I’m sorry.’ I quickly thought/said before turning and running off before he had a chance to respond. I was already running later than I wanted to be. However, I was certainly able to run faster like this then I would have been able to had I stayed human. I ran what is usually a fifteen-minute drive in a third of that time. When I finally came to a stop, I was standing in the tree line on the outskirts of Sara’s yard. I haven’t actually figured out what my plan is yet, but the moment that I dropped her back off at her house I knew I’d be back to keep a close watch on her. Of course, _she_ didn’t know that I had decided to keep watch on her. However, I promised to protect her, and this was me keeping that promise. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stand out here twenty-four seven, but I swore to myself that I would be out here every night that she wasn’t with me. I settled down onto the hard ground, getting as comfortable as I could, and making sure that I stayed just within the tree line, unseen. Laying my head down on paws, I settled in and prepared for my vigil. Nothing was going to happen to her on my watch.

It was as I was arriving for my sixth night on watch that I noticed that something was different. All of the lights in the house were off, which wouldn’t have been that out of place if it wasn’t for the vehicle that was hidden behind the house. I carefully crept closer to the house, pointing my ears to try and pick up on any little sound that I could. I immediately stopped when I was close enough to hear the voices.

“…-hy do you feel this way?” A low voice said. A man’s voice. “If you don’t want to talk, we can just skip to the… _physical_ therapy. I know that we had so much fun the last time I was here. I must say that I’ve been rather… _eager_ for this session. Here. Give me your hand…. Give it to me! I want you to feel just how happy I am to help you. So, why don’t you go ahead and take those clothes off and get ready for me? It’s time for you-”

I immediately shot off towards the front door, unable to listen to another second. That was the man. He’s in there with _my_ girlfriend trying to take something that doesn’t belong to him. I told Sara that I wouldn’t let him near her, and yet here he is, in her house. I leaped over the banister and immediately focused on changing back. The moment I was human I reached for the doorknob. It was locked, as I had expected, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I needed to find a way into the house without breaking anything. I quickly jumped off the porch and ran around to the side of the house to see if any of the windows were open and I found one on the third floor. I looked around as I tried to figure out how I was going to get up there.  Before I was even able to formulate some kind of plan, I felt panic course through my veins as I heard Sara start to plead for the man to stop.

“Yeah. Fuck this.” I growled as I took a couple of steps back before running and launching myself at the side of the house. I was able to grab onto the banister of the second-floor balcony before leaping up to grab the windowsill of the open window. I quickly pulled myself the rest of the way up and found myself tumbling in through the window. After sparing a quick glance around the room I was in, I immediately made a beeline for the door that I figured would lead to the rest of the house. I had never been in Sara’s house before and didn’t actually know where anything was, but that didn’t matter as I immediately locked onto the voices. Running as fast as I possibly could, I leaped down the stairs and sprinted down the hallway before bursting into the room that the voices seemed to be originating from only to immediately freeze as white-hot fury spread throughout my entire body. If I hadn’t been planning to kill him before, I definitely was going to now.

“Get. Off. Of. Her.” I growled, lacing my voice with every ounce of fury that was plaguing my soul. I knew that I shouldn’t kill him. That it would be murder and that would get me a life sentence in prison. But I honestly couldn’t bring myself to care. The only thing that mattered right now was this man who had my girlfriend pinned underneath him.

“Hey, now,” He said, a disgusting smile plastered on his face. “There’s plenty here for the both of us. Look, I won’t even say anything to her mother. We can have this whore slobbering over both of our dicks in no time. Whatcha say, boy?”

I crossed the room in two large strides, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into the nearest wall before I even registered what I was doing.

“She is _MINE_!!” I roared as I tightened my grip on his throat. I could tell that he was struggling to breathe and that I was crushing his windpipe, but I _really_ didn’t care. “How DARE you even _THINK_ about touching her! I should tear your throat out just for even _LOOKING_ at her! But you weren’t just _looking,_ were you? You’re a filthy pig that doesn’t even deserve to continue living on this planet.” I tightened my grip until his face began to turn purple. “Give me one reason, _ONE REASON_ , that I shouldn’t end your miserable life right here and now. Oh, right. There isn’t one!” Just as I was about to snap his neck, I was abruptly yanked away. The suddenness of it caught me off guard and forced me to let the man go to prevent myself from crashing to the floor. Almost immediately regaining my balance, I swiftly spun around and released a furious growl at the intruder. “Benjamin! If you _ever_ grab me like that again, I will end you!”

He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Riley, you’re not thinking clearly. If I didn’t pull you away, you would have killed him.”

“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?!” I roared, advancing towards him even as he backed away with every step. “He will pay for what he has done! And if you try to stop me…I will go through you to get to him. **Do you understand me**?”

“I understand,” Benjamin whispered, his eyes averted against his will. “You can deny it all you want, but right now you’re more like him than any of us have ever been. I guess being the heir to a monster turns you into one, too.”

“Now see, that’s where you’re wrong. I was _born_ a monster. I just lived my entire life pretending that part of me didn’t exist. But now, now I am starting to understand who I am. I’m starting to understand _what_ I am. I am the Chase heir! I am superior to every human on this planet, second only to my father. We share something. Something deeper than blood. Something special. Something that you wouldn’t ever be able to understand. It’s a part of me. I feel it now. So, call me what you will. Just don’t forget that you answer to **_us_**.” Turning back around, I moved forward to finish the job that I had started.

“I don’t believe that you’re a monster,” A small voice whispered, stopping me in my tracks as my eyes widened in horror. The hot fury that was coursing through my veins was swiftly extinguished by the cold, iciness of pure terror.

“Sara,” I whispered. I couldn’t turn around to face her. I had promised her that I would keep her safe. That he wouldn’t come near her again, and I had failed. I _failed_. “I am _so_ sorry. He was never supposed to get this close. This was never…this was never supposed to happen.”

“Come here.”

I couldn’t bring my feet to move. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to turn around and see her face knowing that I had failed her so terribly. I looked over at the sorry excuse for a man passed out on the floor and felt my anger slowly returning. Clenching my fists, I went to take another step closer only to freeze for the third time that night.

“Please, Riley?” The tears were evident in her voice and that was all it took for me to send me rushing over to her.


	18. Chapter 18

“I’m sorry, Sara. I’m so, so sorry.” I cried, holding her as close as physically possible. I felt her tears carve hot trails across my skin as her nails dug into the skin of my back, latching us together. I don’t know how long we sat there, crying into each other’s skin and refusing to move even an inch apart. It could have been minutes or hours or days that we just sat there taking as much comfort as we could from the other. I couldn’t escape from the feeling of extreme guilt that _ravaged_ my soul, the pain from a hot brand would have been less painful than what I was feeling. I could do nothing except apologize, over and over again, not even daring to whisper reassurances. If I had already failed her once, how was I to promise that I would never do so again?

“It’s not your fault, Riley. You don’t need to apologize. You saved me.” Sara whispered as her tears finally began to taper off.

“You shouldn’t have needed saving. I promised you that he wouldn’t ever get close to you and he did. He was here, and he _touched_ you, Sara.” I said into the skin of her neck, tugging her impossibly closer. “I should kill him. I _want_ to kill him.”

“That’s not who you are, Riley. You don’t kill people, you save them. You saved _me_.”

“I know. I just…I can’t help it. Everything in me just wants to rip him to pieces and feed him to the scavengers. Just the mere _thought_ of anyone hurting you…” I trail off with a small growl as I gently latch my teeth over her pulse point, the action calming me instantly.

“I know, Riley,” Sara said, rubbing a gentle hand along my back. “Hey, I think I…I feel like a need to go take a shower. I just feel…”

“It’s okay,” I interrupted before her nerves got the better of her. “I understand. Do what you have to do. I’ll still be right here when you get back. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Thank you. I know we should probably talk about it but…yeah. I, um, my clothes are over there in my drawer. There should be something in there that will fit you.” Sara placed a quick kiss on my lips before going off towards what I assume is the bathroom. I sat on the bed, staring at where she had disappeared before finally getting up and yanking on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Turning, I stared at the man that was still sprawled across the floor, debating what I should do with him.

“She’s your chosen mate.” A voice said, causing me to startle. I snapped my head over to find Benjamin pressed against the wall exactly as he had been. He didn’t appear to have moved a muscle. “Before you ask, I don’t know much about it. That’s something that you’ll have to talk to Dad about. I guess it explains the extra aggressiveness though.” My eyes widened as I remembered exactly how I had acted towards Benjamin.

“Benjamin, I’m _so_ sorry,” I sincerely apologized, taking a small step in his direction. “I didn’t mean what I said and I’m thankful that you stopped me. Can you look at me? Please?” I waited until he met my eyes to continue. “You know that I have no intention to ever become like Leo and I deeply regret any similarities in our behavior. I don’t want to force people to do what I want, and I should have never forced you to submit to me. I hated when Leo did that to me, and I don’t want to be someone that hurts you. I don’t want to become someone that you would hate.”

“But you _are_ hurting me, Riley! You’re hurting all of us!” Benjamin suddenly snapped, taking an aggressive step forward as a deep growl rumbled in his chest. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes in confusion. “You don’t know Dad. He _will_ get what he wants. He always does. His word is law, and no one can refuse him. You should know that. Don’t you remember when you tried to stand against him? Do you remember how well that worked out for you? You said yourself that you and he share something ‘deeper than blood’. You know that you’re special, that you’re the Chase heir, and yet you _still_ aren’t willing to come with us! What part of _you don’t have a choice_ are you not understanding?! If every single one of us were to drop dead right now, he wouldn’t even care as long as he still had you. That’s just how important you are to him, Riley.”

“Benjamin,” I sighed out, closing my eyes. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. My family-”

“Dammit, Riley! _WE ARE_ your family! I am as much your brother as Sam is your sister. We aren’t just some random adopted kids that were picked up from the side of the road. I am your _brother_ , Riley. You’re angry at Dad and I get that. I do. But what about _us_? What about me and Richard and Jackson and Ryan and Micah? We’ve had to go through the same thing. We’ve had to suffer living with that man for _years_ now. Do you really think that after living with him he becomes the perfect dad? No! Every day that passes without you there with him, he takes it out on us. I know we didn’t grow up together, but don’t we matter to you? Ryan’s twelve and you’re her freaking idol. She talks about how excited she is to meet you every day and Jackson is just happy to be able to meet his big sister. Hell, even _I_ was ecstatic the day we found you because I thought that you would be able to help me protect them from him. I do the best that I can, but I’m not _you_ , Riley. I’m not you!” Benjamin cried, crashing to the floor as his body was wracked with sobs. I had been so caught up in myself and how much my life had been affected that I hadn’t even thought about the rest of them. Benjamin was right. They are my family, too. I hadn’t ever thought about it before, but they are my family through blood no matter how much I try to deny my relation to Leo. This boy, this fourteen-year-old boy who should just be starting high school and hanging out with friends and not having to bend to the demands of a man who is supposedly his father, is my brother and no amount of denying is going to change that.

“You’re right,” I cried, falling to my knees and pulling my brother into an embrace. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on my own problems that I didn’t even think. You’re right. You guys are my family too and it is my responsibility to protect you. I’ve been so angry that I just completely ignored the fact that you exist which makes me no better than the man that I’ve been so angry at. I have abandoned my family when I should have been there for you guys. Hell, I should have been there _first_. This responsibility should have never been on your shoulders, Benjamin, and I am deeply sorry about that. I’ve been spending so much energy trying to deny who I am when I should have just accepted it so that I could _help_ you.” I continued, crying into his shoulder as I felt his tears soak mine. This has turned out to be a _very_ emotional day. “You’re just a kid, Benjamin and, more importantly, you’re my little brother. You know that I would do anything to protect Sam and you’re right, we didn’t grow up together, but I will also do anything to protect you. So, when you go back, I want you to do something for me. I want you to tell Leo that I’m ready, but if I’m going to go, I don’t want him to send a messenger. I want him to come himself. It’s going to be okay, Benjamin. I’ll go with him, but I’m going for _you_.”                     

***

“You’re still here.” Sara’s voice pulled me back into the present. I had lost track of the amount of time Benjamin and I had stayed crying on the floor before he declared that he had to head back. I feel as if I have cried enough in this one night to last me through the rest of my life.

“Of course, I’m still here,” I softly said as I turned to smile at her bare form standing in the doorway from my spot on the bed. “I told you I would be.”

“I wasn’t sure if you had changed your mind.” She slowly walked over and carefully straddled my lap. She suddenly began to look around the room as if she were searching for something or someone.

“It’s okay. They’re gone.” I calmly ran my hands along her thighs, hoping to calm her down. “Benjamin left and took the man with him. He said that he would take care of it, whatever that means, but I wasn’t going anywhere. And, as I told you before, there’s nothing that can change how I feel about you.” As soon as the words had come out, Sara engulfed my mouth in a passionate kiss that quickly started to escalate. I was suddenly snapped back into the present as my desire started to make itself known. Quickly breaking the kiss, I leaned back slightly to allow for more space between us. “Sara, wait. We’re supposed to be talking about-”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” She said as she cut me off with another kiss. “I just want you.”

“Sara,” I gasped out, trying to maintain my composure. “We can’t. This isn’t like the first time. _I’m_ not the same as I was the first time. And would you even want to…I mean, after what happened?”

“What _almost_ happened,” Sara muttered as she trailed kisses along my neck and jawline. “And what better time to learn about yourself than now? I mean if you are even _half_ as good with your new addition as you were with your fingers. And your _tongue_ oh my…”

That was all it took for me to lose my last strand of self-control. I knew better. I did. But I couldn’t help myself whenever it came to Sara. And here she is, grinding on my lap, completely naked while practically _begging_ for me to take her. I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t. She has just gone through what I’m sure is a very traumatic experience whether or not he finished what he set out to do or not. And, honestly, the only experience I have with using my new appendage is from the porn videos I once tried to watch before realizing that the real thing was a lot better. I haven’t even ever _slept_ with a guy before. My sexual experience only extends to women. What if I were to accidentally end up hurting Sara in some kind of way?

“No,” I gasped out, slightly surprised that I had somehow been removed of my clothes. I reached out to stop Sara’s steady downward decent down my body. “I don’t…I’m not…” I tried to speak through gritted teeth, but Sara’s hand had made contact and everything that I was planning to say went out the window. I couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped my throat as the hand that had originally been intended to stop Sara moved to tangle into her hair, pulling her up into a rough, messy kiss. As her hand continued its glorious work, I slowly rolled us over. In response to the first time being touched, I felt myself approaching the edge embarrassingly fast. I reached down to stop her motions as I trailed a line of hot kisses down her chest, pausing to make sure that each would bruise, before taking her breast in my mouth. Her moan was almost enough to send me over the edge even without being touched and I reveled in it.

“Riley, _please_.” Sara moaned out. “I want you. _Please_.”

Releasing her from my mouth, I pulled back to look into her eyes.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I began to slowly grind against her.

“Yes.” She breathed out. I leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss as I slowly pushed myself into her.


End file.
